Guardians of Middle-Earth: Invasion to Lóthlorien
by Fanficteller
Summary: Couple years after the Battle of Five Armies, the ancient evil rises in the North in the name of Dark Lord and threatens to unleash the war upon the unsuspecting northern lands, starting from Lóthlorien. Gandalf forms a small group of warriors as the Guardians of Middle-Earth to protect the free peoples of Northern lands from upcoming evil before everything falls under the darkness
1. Chap1: Secret Assemblage

**Welcome to Middle-Earth to follow the Guardians of the Middle-Earth adventures to stop the ancient evil from conquering and covering the North with darkness in the name of Dark Lord Sauron and save the Middle-Earth from the dark forces of evil.  
**  
 **ENJOY OF READING!**

 **(I don't own Lord of the Rings. Only my own characters and my own** **edits in Middle-Earth's** **)**

* * *

ASSEMBLING OF the GUARDIANS OF MIDDLE-EARTH.

Gandalf: _71 Years before the great War of the Ring,_ _many songs have been sung and many tales told about the many heroes and their heroical actions all around of the Late Third Age of Middle-Earth;_

 _Like the fierce and an unprecedented counter-attack of the hobbits led by the young hobbit named Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took against the terrible goblin king's Golfimbul's goblin invasion upon Shire in the great Battle of Greenfields defeating the goblin king._

 _Like the great king of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, saved his people and defeated the dunlending invasion against Rohan at the gates of Hornburg, the great fortress of Helm's Deep._

 _Like the young dwarf Prince Dain II Ironfoot defeated the evil orc king, Azog, in the great and terrible battle of Azanulbizar in front of the Eastern-Gates of the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria in the final days of the great War between the Orcs and Dwarves._

 _Like the lakeman Bard Bowman, the descendant of the Lord Girion of Dale, killed the mighty Dragon Smaug with the Black Arrow._

 _Like three four of the North, Bard the Bowman, Dain Ironfoot, Thranduil of Mirkwood led the united armies of lakemen, elves and dwarves against the terrible army of orcs, goblins, bats and wargs in the great Battle of the Five Armies in front of the kingdom of Erebor and the City of Dale._

 _Like the suicidal but heroical counter-attack of elves, lakemen and dwarves rallied and led by Thorin II Oakenshield against the evil orc king Bolg, son of Azog, and his overwhelming legions of goblin bodyguards and wargs, giving his life for the freedom of his homeland._

 _And like one of the famous hobbits among the dwarves, Bilbo Baggins, helped the entire people of dwarves to reclaim their homeland lost to the dragon Smaug in 2770 and return it to its rightful owners._

 _With all such of heroic acts, we've been able to hold the evil from conquering our lands and covering everything good, light, beautifulness, happiness and freedom into the evil, darkness, destruction, agony and slavery upon of these lands._

 _However, the peace is not eternal._

 _Couple years after the Battle of the Five Armies..._

 _Even after the necromancer, who was recognized to be Sauron returned, had been banished away from the ruined evil fortress of Dol Guldur by the White Council, I though that after their massive defeat and huge massacre in the battle of the Five Armies, which wiped out most of their wreched and filthy people, the remaining orcs and goblins and many other hideous creatures of the Misty Mountains retreated far to the north behind of the mountains of ancient kingdom of Angmar, where they hid to escape the persecution and where they neither cannot cause the harm to the peoples in the shouth_

 _I though that wiping out most of his forces, we managed strike hard and deep into the enemy's strength that HE was more than just willing to leave us alone for the next decades._

 _But I was so wrong..._

 _I've been informed by the great eagles of the Misty Mountains, that there's something going on in the north. The small groups of the goblins and orcs seems to have grown into the herds and they've once again started to swarm in the hidden tunnels and caves deep under the Misty Mountains. The mountain fortress of Gundabad, which I though had been abandoned after the orcs and goblins massive defeat and massacre on the Lonely Mountain, has been once again taken under the rule of evil._

 _But the most concerning thing which worries me deeply, is that the darkness seems to been growing far away in both of the Mountains of Angmar and the Hills of Ettenmoors and the huge area between of these evil mountains is_ _swarming by the hideous creatures_ _. Whatever this a new and strange evil dwells in those mountains, it's possibly the great threat to the lands of Eriador._

 _The White Council has been once again called to the meet in Rivendell, but because I knew that using our_ _blind credulity, the e_ _vil has had time to prepare to counterattack and they may strike even now when weren't yet ready for them. So I needed more time to get unsuspecting peoples of Eriador to get prepared for the upcoming threat and someones to keep an eye of the evil's movements while my full attention was in preparing for the council meeting._

 _So, I sent the message to all over of Middle-Earth, calling the_ _volunteer warriors to the meet I kept in secret from Council._

 _I had to wait for very long time for the responds to my messages, until I eventually, and finally, got the responds from the handful of volunteer warriors from all four peoples of Middle-Earth._

 _and what these warriors did after a long-awaited responding and a secret meeting between of me and them_ _, it belongs now to among the many major deeds, which had ever been done in Third Age of Middle-Earth._

 _These brave and great warriors heroical story deserves to be told, known as..._

 _...THE GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH!_

 _One night, a week before the meeting of the White Council in Rivendell, I set a secret meeting between of me and these warriors in the town of Bree, where I was supposed to meet the warrios in the corner of the main room of Prancing Pony._

* * *

TA 2944.

One rainy night, as always, the guard of the gate of Town of Bree was in his booth smoking a pipe.

It was quite peaceful tonight. Not much visitors nor hobbit and dwarf merchants. There was only passing travelers who had no intend to stop here for the night. They only kept going on their way in the muddy road.

The guard nearly hopped that there was no one coming tonight so he can have a chance to go to sleep.

However, as he was intend to do so, someone knocked to the wooden gate.

The guard snorted in annoyance that someone had eventually decided to stop here for the night.

However, he had to do his job. So he took his hooded raincoat, put it on him and stepped out from him dry, warm and gozy booth and stepped to the gate.

At first, he had to check the newcomer before he was able to let him in.

The guard opened the small wooden hatch in the gate and peeke out.

He saw a tall and slender mand standing in from of the gate. who had dressed as well into hooded raincoat. Who would walk alone in the road in this pouring rain without the hooded raincoat.

The man had the black beard and black hair and under of his raincoat seemed that he had dressed the silky white-crey travel robe.

The man was also carrying something with him. Something like the walking stick or staff, which top the stranger had however covered with the fabric... for the some strange reason, the guard guessed.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The guard said with a bit annoyed and gruff tone.

The stranger narrowed his blue eyes and coiled his nose in disgust for such of gruff greetings.

"I am Evidin, Son of Eferar. I'm here to meet someone in the inn of Prancing Pony. Nothing else about me or my purpose in here is not in your concern." The stranger called Evidin said with the strong and stern tone.

Evidin's tone of voice had the great effect for the guard as he took aback.

The guard also made clear to himself that whoever this stranger was, it may not be wise to antagonize him. Especially after he saw the long two-handed sword peeking from its scabbard, which was hanging in his left flank.

So, the guard humbly stepped back and closed the hatch and opened the gate.

"Pardon me, sir. I'm just doing my job. It's just... no one will ever know that what kind of business the strangers move with in these days" The guard said humbly.

Evidin walked inside of the gate but suddenly stopped after entering and turned his stern face towards the guard who humbly bowed down either in the remorse, respect or simply out of fear.

"Then do your job, and you make the great service to this town." Evidin said back.

The guard slowly and humbly stood upright, nodded at Evidin and closed the door.

"May you help me and tell me that where I can find the inn of Prancing Pony?" Evidin asked.

"Walk straight ahead to the town center and once you're there, turn to the right. There's the sign above of the inn-like building's door with the picture of the fat pony standing on its hind legs and beneath of the picture reads "Prancing Pony." You cannot miss it." The Guard guided.

Evidin pushed his hand into his pocked and pulled out the small bag of money and threw it to the guard's hands, without paying any attention to him.

The guard grabbed the bag from the hair into his hands and looked at the stranger with the dumbfounded and with a bit confused expression on his face.

"As my thanks." Evidin said and kept walking towards the town center as the guard only shrugged and returned to his dry, warm and gozy booth.

Roadstone was also quite muddy, but it didn't bothered Evidin.

What bothered him that from all the villages of the Eriador, Bree had to be the one in which among the honest men, dwarves and hobbits had hide the many dishonest residents... like some dishonest hobbits and dwarves who lives in this town's streets by pick-pocketing from the others, especially from the new unsuspecting visitors... but the worst ones were among the men. Evidin had already heard that there's happened the numerous bloody street- or bar-fights or intentionally made burglary and arson work all around of the town. And on top of that, some of the strange visitors were from the barbaric lands of the Dunland or Rhudaur. These men were never polite and they were always either bullying or talk big to the weaker and nearly defenseless visitors and residents. Evidin has also heard that there was once happened the attack of the raiders, which were however either driven back or captured by his kind.

Evidin was one of the blood of the people of the nearly extinct race of Nûmenor... and he belongs to the dûnedain rangers as the protector of these lands and its people, such of hobbits.

Evidin was also elf-friend, which meant that he had good relationship with the elves by knowing their language, their history, their skills and some of their magic, which made him as the wizard-like despite being the mortal man.

As the proof it, he was wearing the elf-made silvery forehead crown with the inlays of three gemstones on his head, whuch he kept under of his hood. And the staff he was carrying with him was indeed the staff and even the elf-made staff, which was silver-white by the color and in its top has hewn the figure of the White Tree of Gondor, which has the white crown above of its upper branches and it was surrounded by Seven crystal-white shiny Stars. Under of the figure of the White Tree seemed to be the inlays of three shiny gemstones coiled by the Tree's white roots.

The gemstones in his crown and the staff One of the stones was the bright white, another one was the deep-toned blue and third and the last one was the fire-red jewels. The rumors are telling that within of these stones is dwelling somekind of mysterious magical powers which grands to the crown's wearer the ability to control and manipulate the three elements... fire, water (plus ice) and air. The rumors are also telling that these stones are the pieces of those stones which were used as the resources for the inlays of Three Elven Rings of Power, Narya: Ring of Fire, Nenya: Ring of Adamant, and Vilya: Ring of Air, a long time ago before he himself was even born.

But because this was top secret information and as the friend of the elves, Evidin has promised to his staff's and crown's makers and his elven teachers to use their powers only then when they're truly needed but mostly keep this as his and their secret from everyone except from the another elves and the most trusted elf-friends such like the wizard called Mithrandir among them. And for the reason, because the elves had revealed to him that the enemy and his evil forces were looking for the Elven Rings of Power, as they had already re-acqquired most of the Dwarven Rings of Power, which are not consumed by dragon fire... and Evidin was more than just aware of what had happened to the last _NINE_ ones.

And because Evidin has been taught about the magic by the elves, he was also able to use some elven spells when they came to need instead of using the powers of the gemstones.

Evidin has also knowledge about the elves medical skills and that's why he carried with him the bottles which contained the different elven-made potions, medicines and herbal remedies – with the good example, Athelas - which he used to heal the physical and even poisoned wounds.

The way from the gate to the town center was luckily silent. There wasn't nearly anyone walking in the road. Not the townspeople neither the rude and rudely pushing visitors from the shouth and pickpockets, because nearly in the empty area, they're always so easily to be heard and spotted. They have a much better chances to pick pockets of the road is full of people whose full attention is in their own business.

As he reached to the town center and turned to the right, he noticed that he had arrived to the door of the wooden building, which had the wooden sign hanging above of it.

And as the guard had guided him, it was the picture of fat pony standing on its hind legs and ther read "Prancing Pony" beneath of the pony.

So, Evidin remowed the hood from over of his head – but quickly hided his crown into his pocket – and entered inside of the inn and stepped into the main room.

There was quite dark in the main room and the only source of the light was coming from the huge fire place, which light was however blocked by the dozens of different sized and in the dark-colored clothes dressed men.

There was also some dwarves, who were sitting only with their own kind, eating greedily the meat, cheese and drinking the beers. They were also loudly laughing with joy like one of them had just told to the others somekind of funny joke.

There was also the hobbits, who had mostly took the table from the corners of the room and were mostly sitting silently, not talking to the anyone except with themselves.

The air was full of whispering and silently muttering sounds from everywhere and there was the strong smell of smoking a pipe and the smoke which a bit bothered his eyes.

"Excuse me, sir, but you do not seem to be from these lands. Can I help you?" A new voice suddenly asked, snapping Evidin out of his thoughts and he turned to the main room's disk, behind of which the brown-beared, slightly lower-sized than Evidin and a bit overweight man was looking at his direction.

Evidin sighed deeply and walked next to the disk.

"Yes. Yes you can. At first, I'm from the western side of Eriador and these lands aren't strange to me. And secondly, you can help me by telling me at first that who are you." Evidin said with the gentle but still demanding tone.

The man took a bit aback for this, looking at Evidin with a bit offended look on his face.

"Woah, woah, woah! Easy, easy, easy, big fella! I know that it's bad weather out there and that you've walked the long way from wherever in this pouring rain but there's no need to be so impatient neither gruff. Barliman Butterbur, keeper of this Inn, at your service." The man called Barliman Butterbur said as he slightly but bumbly bowed to his new guest.

"Alright, Barliman Butterbur. Can you tell me, that is here arrived more foreign visitors than just me who are not from these lands? I have the meeting with them in here right now, from what I cannot tell more to you, so I need to know that is here any kind of such of foreign visitors already or not." Evidin demanded.

Barliman Butterbur rubbed his chin trying to pick from his memory such of foreign visitors Evidin mentioned. It wasn't easy for him due to him having the bad memory but also having served so many guests the day after day that he always doesn't remembered all of his guests... even that that was the guests after the previous guests either men, dwarf or hobbit.

It took from him a while to consider the right answer for Evidin's question, until he suddenly turned his head to one of the corner of the main room, where was one table...

"Oh, my! My poor memory is wandering all around again! You see those ones in the corner of the room. They're foreign visitors you mentioned, or at least some of them whereas the rest are from these lands. One of them, that one who has that grey-white hooded robe, asked me to ask the name Evidin if there happens to enter the very tall man like you. Is your name Evidin?" Barliman Butterbur asked as he pointed his finger towards the corner table, around of which was sitting at least seven figures with the different-colored hooded robes.

"Yes, that's my name." Evidin said with the node.

"Then please, master Evidin. Join them and enjoy the evening. Even though I do not know why or for what you and them have meeting in here but probably it isn't my business. And good so, because I have so much work to do with my guests. Do you want to eat something?" Barliman Butterbur said as he with the friendly manner pushed Evidin into the main room and towards the corner where the rest of the foreign visitors were.

"No thank you. We're just visiting here." Evidin said and walked forward to the corner.

Evidin took the look at the figures sitting in the table in the corner. Even though they all had the hooded robes to hide their identity, but judging from their sizes, it was clear that at least three of them were the hobbits, one of them seemed to be dwarf, judging from his muscular and size as a slightly bigger than the small and slender hobbits. A taller and more slender one of them seemed to be the elf and the last one a man.

Evidin didn't yet saw their faces due to their hoods and that their faces and the full attention was in the last figure, who was sitting the opposite side of the table. despite he himself having the hood over of his head and the darkness in the corner, even though there was a small and nearly burned out candle poorly/weakly enlighten the corner, his faces were the most visible.

He had the the elderly face and grey-white beard, hair and eyebrows.

Evidin recognized this hooded figure immediately.

"Gandalf."

Gandalf raised his head and turned to the direction from where the sudden voice, which had called his name, had came to his ears.

Also the other hooded figures turned their heads and attentions to Evidin, confirming his assumption about the hooded figure's races as to the correct.

The hobbits were both tan-skinned and one of them was slender and another one of them was a bit fatter and he had the chubby cheeks. Both of them had curly hair, which was golden with the slender one and red-brown with another one. And they both had the hairy feet as usually with all hobbits. They were both dressed into the hobbit-made travel clothes, which were the red-brown witn the slender one and grey-green with the fatter one. And both of them had the hooded capes.

The dwarf had also the eldery faces like Gandalf and the skin of hif face was rough, wrinkled and full of scars and his has, like any dwarf, plump nose. His seemed to have bald head but a large beard. He had the large muscles and his fists seemed to be larger than normaly in the men and dwarves. The dwarf had thick travel clothings under of which we was wearing the dwarf-made armor shirt. The dwarf was also carrying the packing with him, which probably contained parts of the dwarf armor, such like dwarven-made heavy chest armor, shin- and wrist guards, shoulder pads and dwarven-made helmet. In the dwarf's belt was hanging the small selection of single-handed throwing axes and he was also carrying on he back the large dwarven-made crossbow, with two quivers full of the dwarven bolts... and as his primary weapon was two-handed and double-edged dwarven battle ax, which large blades greatly resembled the square-shaped stars attached to each other in the end of the ax's handle.

The elf, who was rather standing unlike the others around of the table, was quite slender and smooth-skinned female elf with the quite tall limbs. She had the long golden hair and green-colored almond-shaped eyes and her leaf-green silky elven clothes and boots seemed to be galadhrim-made due to the golden patterns in her clothes wich resembling the features of the Golden Forest. The elf was even wielding the small part of galadhrim armor but only golden chest armor and wrist guards. She had also two long galadhrim-swords resting in two scabbard hanging from the belts in her back along with the galadhrim longbow and arrow quiver full of galadrim arrows.

The man of this unlike group was coming from the kingdom of Gondor. He was quite muscular, tall and strongly built man like Evidin, but the man of Dûnedain were more taller than Gondor's physically and mentally normal men. He had the blue eyes, blonde hair and blue eyes. Evidin was able to see him wearing the traveling armor with the symbol of the White Tree of Gondor under of his own robe.

"Aah. Evidin. Good that you were able to come. You're a bit late from the right time but but better late than never." Gandalf said as he referred Evidin to take the sit.

"Please let me introduce you my new friends, Evidin." Gandalf said and referred with his hand at first the hobbits.

"These three are Hustlin from the Smartass family and Nicholas from the family of Guzzles.

"While using his time as protecting Shire's borders and getting to know some hobbits, Evidin knew exactly these families."

The hobbits of the family of Smartasses, or at least they called themselves so, are said to be the most smartest hobbits of the shire, because they have in their tiny little head so much of useful solutions to cope with all kinds of problems or guide those ones who're in the need of help wwith the wise advices. This was also sometimes a bit bad thing, because if their a gift of intelligence is overcame by the the excessive curiosity or harmless mischief, these hobbits are able to become sly and full of cunning tricks like the foxes that it's nearly impossible to get them caught in the act... which was made even more difficult due to the hobbit's ability to stay nearly completely out of view, even from the hobbit sized creatures such like goblins.

The hobbits of the family of Guzzles, they were sweet, friendly and kind-hearted hobbits, who also has the great a large and selective appetite. These hobbits loves food and eating and that's why they're quite chubby. But that doesn't mean that they're lazy. They're master cooks and always be careful about that, they have always cooking utensils and ingredients with them before they leave anywhere. But even though it's said that the hobbits has a good habits, it will not be quite wise to allow one of the Guzzles to come into the dinner table, because these hobbits lacks the table manners.

"Our dwarf friend is Groff, son of Gruff and one of the line of Durin from the Lonely Mountain and the veteran of the Battle of the Five Armies and the War of dwarves and Orcs. Currently, he's peddler between the dwarven and men settlements and kingdoms between the Blue Mountains and Erebor." Gandalf said as he referred his hand towards the dwarf of this company.

"But my hands have still the old lust for breaking the goblin skulls!" The dwarf proudly commented as he squeezed his another fist together and smashed it against his open hand.

The elf only rolled her eyes at the dwarf.

"Dwarves." She muttered.

"Our elf friend here is Felenar, the woodland elven scout from the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien. Light like the feather, fast like the elk, ten times sensual than any man ever and the warrior of hundred warriors. Or at least her kind uses to call her." Gandalf said as he referred with his hand the elf called Felenar.

Felenar raised her hand on her chest as greetings to Evidin.

" _Aiya, Evidin In Dûnedain_ " Felenar greeted.

" _Aiya, Felenar In Taur-nu-Fuin_ " Evedin greeted back.

Felenar was mentally taken aback of finding out that Evidin was found out to be elf-friend and he had the knowledge of her people's language and greeting ways.

But the only reacted with the gentle smile and node to Evidin.

"And this is Elegrant, son of Elegont, from the kingdom of Gondor. Captain and lord of the fortress of Cair Andros." Gandalf finished as he referred to the gondorian soldier.

"Greetings, Evidin. It's my pleasure to meet you, Dûnedain." Elegrant said proudly and strenched his right arm towards Evidin to shake their hands as greetings, which Evidin without the hesitation and gladly accepted.

And then, Evidin let go of Elegrant's hand and turned back to Gandalf.

"My apologies for being late from this meet, Gandalf, but I think that you should know the reason why I was late from this meeting." Evedin said.

"I've feeling that we're all here because of that, Evidin." Gandalf said as he turned to the others.

"As all you know, I've called you all here to speak of something very important, which needs of our full attention. I know that it's risky to set this meeting in here the town of Bree, which is full of the unfriendly ears among the honest people, but this was also the only place where I was able to hide this secret meeting from the Council. for personal reasons which I'm gonna share with you and only with you in here.. So let's get started. I've recently sensed that something is wrong. There's something very ominous on the move and I sense that it's coming from the north. I don't know what it is but it's very important to take into account. And in the fear of the sudden strike against us, I need some helping hands and watchful eyes to keep an eye of this ominous movement while I myself am busy in preparing myself for the Council in Rivendell." Gandalf said with the concerned tone.

"You said that there's sopmething what you want to share with us... and you said yet that you want our help... do you mean by that what you just said that you're gonna share something with us and you even need us?" Hustlin asked curiously.

"Only if you, young Hustlin, promise to keep your little mouth shut and not to speak loudly and yet completely unintentionally give away our secret information, which are meant to be shared only among of each others, to outsiders... then yes, because even for once, your sneaky and sly skills and smart mind will be soon useful for all of us. But keep for a while your mouth shut and listen to us rather than speak." Gandalf said quite sternly, which allowed Evidin to learn that Gandalf had to pick up from all the hobbits of the Smartass family the ones who is or seems to be nearly uncontrolable with his own curiousity, who could easily and without noticing give all of our secret knowledge to outside of this meeting unintentionally.

Gandalf then turned back to the others in the table.

"I'm sure that Evidin probably knows the reason or something like that, because you were in the North Downs near the ancient ruins of the city of Fornost." Gandalf guessed as Evidin gave the node to his question as an answer.

"Did something happened out there on your way here?"

Evidin a bit lowered his head down, taking to his face the expression on his face which told to Gandalf and the others that he had witnessed something very terrible on his way to the Town of Bree,

"I'm sorry but yet. very grim disaster happened in the north on my way here." Evidin answered grimly.

Gandalf let out the light sigh. He had nearly guessed that Evidin was gonna say something like that.

"I feared it would be so. So let's not waster the enough time. Tell us what happened, Evidin, but remember what did I said about the unfriendly ears among of these people." Gandalf sternly warned.

Before Evidin opened his mouth to speak and share his knowledge about the news from the north, he turned his head and scowled to the group on dishonest and unfriendly-looking group of six unfriendly-looking southern men in the neightbor table, who were secretly staring at them but turned their gazes back to their own business after Evidin scowled them threateningly and warningly.

Also Groff did the same to these men.

"I don't like those guys." Groff commented as he turned to Gandalf.

"You're the wizard, Gandalf, you should then conjure them to be deafened so they cannot hear anything what we're gonna share with each others."

Gandalf was about to protest to Groff's request, until both the wizard and dwarf were suspended by Evidin, who was muttering silently something very ancient spell in elvish and rolled her fingers in the air, much to confusion of the hobbits, Groff and Elegrant.

Suddenly, all laughing, talking, whispering and muttering voices eventually faded away from the air space... plus the strong smell of a smoked pipe. All what they were ablee to hear was their own breathing and all of their own voices...

...like there was something magically but nothing in seen between of them and the rest of the guests.

"What happened? What is this magic?" Elegrant asked and quite loudly voice, but was immediately surprised that none of the outsider guests didn't responded to his loud voice by turning their heads and attentions towards them.

The hobbits were quite dumbfounded and amazed about this.

"WOOHOO!" Hustlin shouted loudly, but none of the people in the main room turned their attention towards them.

"This is amazing! How did you do that?" Nicholas asked curiously, even though his voice was more mumbling due to his mouth being filled completely with food. He probably never have seen the magic tricks before due to being the normal food-loving hobbit and living most of his life in Bree and partially in the Shire.

"Who cares! Are those guys, deaf or something?" Groff asked and picked his wooden cup of beer from the table with the intend to throw it to someone's head to get his attention, only to be timely stopped from doing so by both Felenar and Evidin by grabbing from his wrist.

"I just did as you asked, Groff, son of Gruff." You wanted to spell the rest of the guests to be deafened that they wouldn't be able to hear anything what we're gonna say either by whispering or with out normal tone of voices." Evidin said as he let go off from Groff's wirst.

"And you do not need to carry the worry about the loudly-speaking hobbits during of our meeting, Gandalf." Evidin said to Gandalf before he turned back to Groff.

"I conjured the magical but invisible shield around of this corner, which makes us deaf to the outside world and the outside world deaf to us. We can't hear each others due to the shield, but that doesn't meant that they cannot feel something which is thrown through the shield towards them and can hurt them physically, so let's not drive their attention with the physical touch to us and leave them be." Evidin explained.

Groff snorted, showing his high dislike towards the elven magic tricks, but eventually backed down from his intent and placed the beer cup back on the table.

Felenar instead was interested about this after finding out that Evidin was so deeply the elf-friend that her people had even teached to him such of her people's magical skills and spells.

"That's one of my people's magic tricks, Evidin of Dûnedain. How did you learn to make such of spell?" Felenar asked curiously.

"That's not now important, Felenar dear. Evidin did to us the great service that all what were going to speak and share with each others will not end up to the unfriendly ears among of these people. So, let's just hear out that what news Evidin has to be shared with us." Gabdalf said, nearly with a impatient tone.

Felenar nodded and made quickly the apologetic gesture.

As all of them turned to Evidin to listen the news Evidin has to be shared with them.

"Three days ago, I was on my way from my guard post of the north and heading towards here until the peaceful elven farm village I passed in the land between of the North Downs, Weather Hills, hills of Ettenmoors and the forest of Trollshaws was under attack!"

Flashback.

Three days ago.

It was the peaceful day for the farming elves in the good and fertile farmlands and in their elven villages in between of the north downs, weather hills and the forest of Trollhaws and the hills of Ettenmoors.

The sun was shining.

Birds were singing and making their nests into the hazel bushes.

Elven children are playing happily in the fields and riding with the horses and ponies on the roads.

Elven farmers were farming the land.

Some were swimming in the clean and clear river.

Some elves were were happily running all around of the green and lush deciduous woods, where some of the elves had gathered together to celebrate, play their musical instruments, sing the songs and drink a wine in their own peace.

Traveling dwarven merchants from the Blue Mountains were selling to them their products produced by their blacksmiths and carpenters in exchange for grain and wine.

There was the huge and the lucrative market days in the elven village, visited by the dwarves, men and also some hobbits.

The elven patrols alongside the partols of Dûnedain rangers were maching on the road watching the situation and keeping an eye the order.

The peaceful day was happy and wonderful.

Until...

Evidin: _All this peacefulness and happines of the people of eldar was under of the watch of me and the rangers of the Dûnedain, until something happened. There was the great and ominous darkness which startled the animmals and blocked the sunlight with a large distance and covered the lands under the grim darkness. This drove the farming elves into a near-_ _restlessness, fear and panic until unspeakable, terrible and destructive chaos was unleashed by the unexpected evil which came from the direction of the Hills of Ettenmoors._

Suddenly, the horses from each farm began to behave nervously and uncontrollably.

The same restlessness, unawareness and fear began through the farms tamed and forest wild animals transmitted even to the elves.

Suddenly, the sunlight was blocked by the unexpectedly arrived, inexplicable and in these lands unprecedented darkness.

Some elven farmers look up to the sky in horror while some of them desperately runs for this new threat for their lives.

There's the strong air flows in the air, which hits to the ground like the stone giant's stamping foot, which massive shockwave knocks the elves, horses, trees, even elven houses and anything bulk material over to the ground.

Some elven partols of Rivendell and Dûnedains patrols tried to fight against this new threat by shooting it with the arrows, but they soon realizes that their arrows proves to be useless against this threat.

Soon, this threat unleash the fiery hell upon these lands.

The huge and unprecedentedly loud roar like the ten thunders travels in the air, causing its unfortunated victims to have torturing head aches or to be immediately deafened.

A flaming pillar of fire runs through the ground, burning the forests, houses, fields, animals and every unfortunated poor farmer on its way, leaving the deeply burned ground.

The elven partols of Rivendell and Dûnedains patrols are immediately wiped out by the huge armor-like clawed arms and whip-like long armored tail.

Evidin: _I could not believe my eyes when I saw the creature with my own eyes. Skin like armor, claws like spears, teeth like swords, eyes like flaming fireballs and gaze like corrupting power, roar like thunder, like crown of horns on top of the head, the wings like shadows, tail like whip destroying everything. Such a monster is not to be seen in Eriador lands for centuries. It came unexpectedly. They were unaware and unablee to prepare for its incoming and unable to defend themselves against such of monster. It just came, destroyed, killed, brought fear and agony with it, a mighty, unharmed, unstoppable._

Pause in Flashback.

Deeply considering Evidin's words how he figured the appearance of the creature, who had attacked to the elven farmlands, it did not took long from Groff to guess that what was the creature Evidin was speaking about.

"Are you saying that you saw the DRAGON?! Or did you just saw only illusions. Last I heard, the last dragon on Middle-Earth, Smaug the Dragon/Golden/Terriple was killed in the hands of Bard the Bowman back in the Laketown of Esgaroth which was destroyed by its fiery flame. That hideous worm's bones are now rotten in the bottom of that lake for good." Groff said, with the deeply disgust and hatred he had towards of that certain dragon and all others of its hideous kind, because he had not forgotten how such of big flying worm had once took with the massive destruction, massacre and everything destroying and burning fire his people's home and kingdom unstoppable for their riches and banished his people into the times of famine and misery, causing from the exalted and proud people to become traveling merchants, carpenters, blacksmiths and miners to survive. Groff, as one of the dwarven survivors when he was a little boy, still beared those the heavy memories of those misery times after the fiery destruction the smaug brought upon the Loleny Mountain.

Evidin nearly took Groff's words as offence.

"I know what the dragon looks like if I've heard about one and when I see the one in my life, master Groff. It's not difficult to recognize the one if you see the one even for once. And I'm fully aware of Smaug's death back in the Esgaroth. But what I never believed that there was indeed more of them left than just Smaug." Evidin said with the offended tone.

Groff only shrugged his shoulders.

"And it was your first mistake, Dûnedain." Groff muttered.

This offended also Elegrant, who together stood up from his sit and raised his voice to the dwarf.

"Hey! Do not you dare to insult the descendants of the ancient predecessors of my kingdom, dwarf! Evidin has done nothing to you, which do not give you right to insult that what he saw while he was coming here." Elegrant said loudly, defending Evidin's honor and rights.

"Well, has Dûnedain had any kind of problems with the dragons like my people has been already? No! Never! But only because they're not dwarves living under the mountains. They're men. They were sailors not miners like my people. They're taller, beardless - but mentally and physically tough and proud people and I like it – and more long-living than you Gondor's guys but still sleep away even so young age compared to our dwarves life time. You Gondor's guys even earlier than them. And just due to being men, they know nor care nothing about my people's misery back in those days." Groff said a bit with gruffy tone.

Evidin was about to stand up and say something back, firing in fire with fire, until Felenaar raaised her hand and referred Evidin to relax and sit down.

"It's not completely your fault, Evidin, if you and your people never had any troubles with the dragons like the dwarves has. You and your nearly extinct people and bloodline has already enough of troubles to protect these lands and stay in the hide and exist and you also have been the hard times in the pasts with the _Evil_ which is even worse than even the dragons. Besides, it's also the dwarves own stupid mistake to even believe so gullibly about that all dragons from the ancient times are extinct." Felenar said as she nodded towards Groff.

After hearing those last words, Groff turned from Elegrant to Felenar.

"Hey, elf! Who did you just called stupid?! Besides, your pointy-eared friends living in that forest were also partially blamed for the misery of my people." Groff said firmly back and with deeply offended and self-defensive tone of voice.

"Well, then who's people was deeply and mentally struck by the blind greed and lust for the gold and the other riches that obviously attracted the dragon upon your people... and even that all the voice of reason we tried to warn you about the consequences from such of blind lust fell to the deaf ears of the stubborn dwarves." Felenar fired back from her mouth, reminding Groff about the Dragon-Sickness under which his people was mentally easy to fall.

The fight with the words between Groff, Felenar and Elegrant kept going.

Only the hobbits didn't took part of this argument with the big ones. They just stood in the corner of the table wondering – and Nicholas still eating - that how this was gonna end.

Eventually, Gandalf's loud raised his voice to as loud as five thunders, what the other guests didn't heard thanks to Evidin's magical shield, to break this useless argument.

"WE HAVE NO TIME TO ARGUE WITH EACH OTHERS ABOUT OUR PEOPLES SUPERIOTITY OVER ANOTHER ONE'S PEOPLE NEITHER ABOUT THE HAPPENINGS IN THE PAST! SO WE QUIT THIS NEEDLESS ARGUMENT IN HERE AND NOW!" Gandalf shouted, which got Elegrant, Groff, Felenar and the hobbits to take aback with the sudden startled expressions on their faces.

"Forgive me, Mithrandir. I didn't meant to raise my voice like that... even to you, dwarf." Felenar said with apologetically gesture to both Gandalf and Groff, who answered to the elf's apologize by shrugging his shoulders as the sign of "whatever."

Gandalf then turned back to Evidin

"Please, continue."

Flashback continues.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, after the flying beast's unexpected incoming, the sky was filled with the huge black cloud of the gigantic and black vampire bats, darkening the sky even more and blocking the rest of the beautiful, peacefull and sunny day's sunlight from reaching to the ground... turning the day into the night dark.

The bats attacked with the huge flocks for their lives running elven farmers in the lust of the fresh blood and the much bigger and more aggressive ones attacking against the elven patrols pinning them down by force.

And under the cover and protection of the darkness the vampire bats gave, from the burned forests began to swarm the gigantic and black horde of Gundabad orc-berserkers like the huge swarm of black and savage ants with the savage selection of orc swords, spears, axes, maces and bows forged in the forges of Gundabad. They were followd by the huge and bigger swarm of big-eyed and small-sized underground goblins, whom had become the mindless savages as they moved like the animals and in all fours and were armed with the wrist guards arned with the long savage-looking metal claws.

Alongside of the swarms of bats and hordes of the savaged goblins, Gundabad orc berserkers had with them the huge packs of savage wolves of Gundabad, from which less than half were mounted by the orc berserkers and with them rushed a big group of club-wielding ogres and stone-trolls, who were able to walk in open without the fear about the daylight.

The evil and savaged raiders took over the farming lands and the entire elven village easily, chasing down and mercilessly and brutally slaughtering the dozens of fleeing elf farmers while burning down the fields, trees and elven houses.

Several patrols of both elves and Dûnedain rangers regroup into the huge groups and battle against the orc berserkers, savaged goblins, wargs, bats, ogres and stone-trolls with the swords and bows. They killed many of them, especially elves took down more orcs, goblins, wargs and even some bats, ogres and trolls than Dûnedain rangers did, thanks to their life time training with the skills with the swords and longbows, but they soon found out that but there was hundred against one of them and soon the united patrols were overwhelmingly destroyed.

Evidin: _They were after that under attack by the huge swarm of Gundabad orc berserkers and savaged goblins like the black army of black savage ants, swarming like the unstoppable wave from the woods under the darkness given to them by the swarm of the giant vampire bats - supported by the ogres and stone-trolls who were able to walk in the open without the fear of sunlight turning them into stone and the huge packs of savage giant wolves of Gundabad and the the orcs were riding on their backs. The village was easily taken over by the raiders and all of that what's left from the dragon fire was burned down by the raiders. Dûnedain rangers and the elves of Rivendell did their best to hold off the horde. They managed to kill many, but they were eventually surrounded, outnumbered and eventually crushed down or eaten alive._

Gandalf: _Was there survivors? Even any captives?_

Evidin: _None._

Evidin: _They slaughtered all the elves, smashed the captive's heads with the rocks and left their bodies to hang in the pikes or they beheaded their heads as trophies or left them to hang in the top of the pikes as well. Or they allowed the wargs and savaged goblins to eat them alive. They took everything they saw as useful for their evil plans. After the village and the surrounding area and the elven residents were wiped out, they left behind the fertile elven farmlands as devastated and burned and the ground filled with dead elves and Dûnedain rangers._

Pause in flashback.

From all of them, Felenar was mostly shocked and deeply saddened of hearing such of news of such of massacre of her own kind.

"All elf farmers... they are all... slaughtered?!" Felenar said with the deep shock and sorrow in her voice.

Evidin couldn't say any word about it, because his saddened expression made it clear to Felenar that none of the farmer elves, neither the elven children nor little elven babies, weren't spared on that day. To make it completely sure to Felenar that none of the elved had been spared, he slowly shook his head and took the mourning expression on his face.

As the elves knew, the _EVIL ONE_ hated the elves mostly than anything more in the world, except the Dûnedain, and that his hatred towards the elves has been preserved deep in his black heart after his treachery was long time ago revealed to the higher elven lords after he secretly and with guile forged the One Ring in the fires of Orodruin. And from that day, before and after his massive defeat in the end of the Second Age and in the War of the Last Alliance of elves and men, _he_ would be greatly pleased after every single elf is wiped out from the earth. He never bothers to take the elves as prisoners neither as slaves, which he rather prefers from the hobbits, elves and the normal men, but more as resources for making more orcs to keep his forces of darkness large and powerful in numbers.

Also to the elf-friends, as well as the elves themselves, seeing such of cold-blooded massacre is like the stabbing with the dagger poisoned by the deep sorrow deep into the heart.

" _Hiro hyn hidh ab wanath_." Felenar muttered lilently, with the expression and tone of sorrow.

Then Evidin turned from the mourning the dead elves back to the others.

"But there's something more you should know." Evidin said.

Everyone were in listen.

"After the massacre of the elves of the elven farm village, there was the meeting between of two leaders in the side of these forces of Darkness in middle of the devastated farm area. One of them was the goblin riding in the back of a gigantic spider I've ever seen in my life and accompanied with the herd of Gundabad orcs, wargs and ogres. The another one he was meeting, looked like one of the NINE but she wasn't. She just looked like one of the Nine because she and her companions were riding in the back of the strange creatures I've never seen in my life."

Another Flashback.

The black crows, who were feasting with the dead bodies of the elves and Dûnedain, a huge group suddenly appeared in middle of the devastated area and remained to stand there as they were waiting for something... or someone.

The group was mostly made of savagely disordered horde of Gundabad orc berserkers, who were walking in foot but some of them were riding in the backs of wargs, most of which were dismounted. Behind of the orc horde was eight ogres, half of which were wielding in their hands the huge spiked clubs or hammers but another half wwere carrying the flags of Gundabad.

In middle of them all, was standing the huge black red-eyed spider. To the spider's back has been attached the wooden chair covered with the fur of skinned wargs, in the chair was sitting the large, obese, pale greenish-skinned and muscular goblin, who was taller than any tallest dwarf and was even taller than the adult man. The goblin has the aged faces, dark smoke gray hair and the large red eyes like any other goblin living underground. The goblin was topless, havin only blood-red loincloth, skin gloves and fur boots. The goblin was also wearing the hideously forget metallic crown with the long curved metal pikes upon his head, in which spikes was was hanging the dwarven skulls with the beard and rotten skin. The goblin was also wearing the large cape made out of the skinned dwarven head scalps. The goblin was also wielding serrated scimitar in its left right hand and the black staff, in which was attached the dwarven skulls, which eye-holes were filled with dark-purple crystal inlays.

The one, who the goblin had came to meet in middle of this burned area, was ridingin the back of strange winged dragon-like beast which seemed to be the hideous mix of bat and snake (Nazgûl's Fell Beasts.) The rider herself was wearing the black and heavy hooded cape-like robe and the rider weared the mask to cover her faces. Evidin, who was hiding in the bushes nearby spying the meeting between of two of these leaders, was able to see that the rider's eyes weren't the normal eyes of human neither orc but instead strangely catlike but darkly flaming... just like the flaming eye in behind of the pointed mountain described into the ragged orc flag which the ogres were holding.

"Gorboglin... the king of Mount Gram and the ruler of Ettenmoors." The hooded figure said, clearly with the tone of the woman, which was dark and nearly whispering like the Ringwraith's hissing voice.

"Greetings, Mistress Nazihra, the Messenger of Morgul and the _Dark One_. I know exactly that why you are here, my lady. As the _Dark One_ has ordered me to do after his humiliating defeat in the Lonely Mountain. I've managed to rally all the goblins, orcs and other creatures of the northern mountains. And even now I'm already gathering my all time growing forces of Darkness in the Valley between of the Hills of Ettenmoors and the Mountains of Angmar and they're ready to move by the _Dark One_ 's command." The goblin called Gorboglin said with the deep and coarse orc tone.

"And what about the forces you've promised to send to the southers side of the Misty Mountains?" Nazihra called figure questioned, with a slight uncertain of the goblin's words.

"They're already on the move. One of them is heading to our post in the Mountains of Mirkwood and another is on their way towards the filthy elven forest called Lothlorien." Gorboglin answered with the disgusted tone towards the Golden Forest and its beauty as is told in the tales.

"Exellent! After you've dealed with this filthy elven land and brought the target out from there, you may move to the next part of our plan of Conquering the Eriador under the rule of soon reborn kingdom of Angmar." Nazihra said with the pleasure in her darkly flaming eyes.

Also Gorboglin grinned wickedly.

"Oh, yes. We're gonna have a bit fun with her after we're dealed with that forest in the outpost in middle of the mountains." Gorboglin said.

"They do not expect a thing, they do not suspect anything, and they're not even prepared for our incoming. These pathetic people living on this side of the mountains have known the peace far too long. As soon as the _Dark One_ gives us the command to act, it's time to take over these lands with the IRON FIST OF THE GOBLINS AND ORCS! And when we strike, we will strike with full force especially against those little rats hiding in their filthy holes. And the revenge shall soon be MINE!" Gorboglin proudly declared.

The goblin then turned his giant spider around and was about to departe with his escorts, until Nazihra raised her hand.

"Halt for a moment yet, Gorboglin." To make sure that our plan with conquering Lothlorien will work without the difficulties because of the magic of that accursed elven Queen of that forest and her elven patrols, by the _Dark One_ 's orders, I'm sending one of my thirteen sorcerer followers to aid your troops and making sure that that forest will be taken down by every tree and that the prisoner is brough to your outpost in the mountains. And do not even try to argue with the Messenger of _Dark One_ , you hideous king of worms of the underground, because the _Dark One_ 's word is law and his every word must be obeyed!" Nazihra said until he departed by turning the winged beast around and took flight.

Hiding Evidin was able to hear the goblin king's snarling out of disgust as he was leaving.

End of the flashback.

"Gorboglin and Nazihra were their names, correct? (Sigh) I know these two very well." Gandalf said with the concern tone after Evidin had finished the news he had for Gandalf.

 _"Nazihra was once one of the blood of Nûmenor, young and beautiful female captain and closest follower of Arveleg I, the king of Arthedain, one of three kings of the ancient kingdom of Arnor, long time ago before the long and terrible war with the ancient and evil kingdom of Angmar. When the Witch-king of Angmar and his dark armies of orcs, evil men and many monsters of Angmar started the Conquest of Eriador against the kingdom of Arnor, she was fighting against these evil forces of Angmar alongside of her king for many years until the capture of the fortress and the watchtower of Amon Sûl. She was the one who was responsible of the safety of the tower's Pálantir. But the tower was eventually captured by the Witch-King's forces and the fortress, its protective Mallorn trees and the watchtower were destroyed by the mountain giants summoned to battle by the Witch-King. Despite the complete destruction of both of the fortress and the reinforcements, Arveleg I managed to escape with Pálantir but Nazihra was taken as prisoner and taken to the dungeons of Carn Dûm, where she was tortured during of interrogations of Palantir's wereabouts."_

 _"However, Nazihra was internally hurt and felt herself betrayed by the king she had loyally followed and obeyed and she felt that Arveleg I had left her to her terrible fate in the hands of the evil in order ot save Pálantir despite her protest that both the fortress and stone were lost to the overwhelming enemy forcess. Seeing how strong she was mentally and how her heart was filled with hurt anf feeling betrayed, but also the spark of the newfound lust for revenge, The Witch-King eventually corrupted her heart with the hatred towards the people of kingdom of Arnor and with the promises of magical powers, immortality created by dark magic title as one of her war chieftains and her revenge against the one who betrayed her and the entire line of kings of Arnor in exchange for information of Arnor's forces movements. Nazihra, with the wish to get her revenge, accept this offer immediately and she became black númenórean sorcerer the chieftain of Angmar's army of black númenóreans alongside the another Nazgúl named Mogomir, the Witch-King's left-hand-man."_

 _"Nazihra's very first task from Witch-King was retrieve Amon Sûl's Palantir from Arveleg I with Morgomir and led the army of Gundabad orcs, black númenóreans, Dire Wolves and other hideous creatures and evil men of Angmar and Rhudaur into the fierce battle for mastery over Palantir against Arveleg I and his armies. Nazihra fought against her former kinmen like the savaged sorcerer killing them inside of their armors with her newfound dark witchcraft and eventually challenged her former king, Whom she had loved and faithfully Followed into the battles against the forces of Angmar, into the fierce duel for Palantir. She, however, gained the upperhand against Arveleg I but before she managed to kill him, the king with his last breath smashed the Palantír into the ground, causing a huge explosion killing everything nearby. Nazihra survived from the explosion, but her faces were critically mutilated that she was hard to believe as such a beautiful woman what she was like long ago."_

 _"However, due to her lust for blood of the men of Arnor, Nazihra took part in every conflict between the forces of two kingdoms alongside her new master the Witch-King during the rest of the war by carrying out several successful and devastating ambushes against Dûnedain rangers, the soldier patrols and even small armies proceeding from victory to victory, – and even then when Angmar was at its weakest and pushed back to North by forces of Arnor, she even took part of creating and unleashing a terrible plague upon of Arnor with the other black númenórean sorcerers. – She took part especially in overtaking of Barrow Downs which sealed the conquest of Cardolan and to the siege of Fornost, whiuch sealed the conquest of Arthedain and the Fall of Arnor, until the war's decisive battle in front of the gates of Fornost against the united armies of the elves, men of Gondor and the leftovers of Arnor – in which also your people were helping the armies of elves and men as the archers, young hobbits – and the war was finally ended, leaving the kingdoms of Angmar and especially Arnor completely destroyed."_

 _"Witch-King and Morgomir were both able to flee back to Mordor, but Nazihra took the refuge from the Angmar Mountains, and because of her own immortality created by the Witch-King's dark magic, she was forced to hide and dwelled in the mountains among the goblins and other hideous monsters survived from the destruction of Angmar nearly five hundred years until the Dark Lord returned and established himself in Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood, which allowed also her to leave from the Angmar Mountains and head through the Misty Mountains towards Dol Guldur."_

Evidin listened carefully Gandalf as he was telling them Nazihra's story - what especially the hobbits listened eagerly, or at least Hustlin listened eagerly while Nicholas was still focused on eating. The old tales about the ancient war between the three kingdoms of Arnor and Angmar but he had actually never even heard about the black númenórean called Nazihra in any tales he had heard from his people.

"How do you know so much of this... Nazihra, Gandalf?" Evidin asked curiously.

"Well, I've actually read about her history from the preserved books telling about the history of Arnor in the library of Rivendell... and I've even met her when I was visiting in the Fortress of Dol Guldur in 2850. And she was really everything of that what I've read about her from the books. Even my powers were nearly useless against her own powers given to her by the Witch-King himself and her powers had been highly strengthened during of her time in Dol Guldur, possibly due to the influence or presence of the _Dark Lord_ himself."

Then, it was Groff's turn to speak.

"But who is this... Gorboglin... she met after the devastation of the elven farmer village. Perhaps the old buddies with each others I guess, but what did that goblin even meant with the word "revenge" that he was intending to sentence against the rats like the hobbits as he called them?" Groff asked, unintentionally offending the hobbits on the table after he unintentionally called them as rats.

"It's nearly or completely impossible to imagine such of peace-loving people as the big threat even in the eyes of the enemy... more likely either as slaves or food" Groff added, offending the hobbits more often, as the hobbit duo created the offended glare towards the dwarf.

"Is anyone of you familiar with the tale about the goblin-invasion upon the Shire?" Gandalf asked from everyone.

Felenar, Groff and Elegrant were unaware about this brief war between the hobbits and goblins which happened in 2747. Only Evidin and especially the hobbits were more than just familiar with this bloody event and conflict. Or at least Evidin had heard about it from the traveling hobbits who were singing the songs and telling the tales to their children about that grim day in the history of the hobbits.

" _When the goblin Golfimbul, king of the Mount Gram, led on that year the army of goblin raiders of the Misty Mountain and Mount Gram in the Shire, they were met by the forces of hobbits led by the Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took in the battle of the Greenfields. Even though the hobbits were outnumbered, they had the timely arrived daylight on their side, which allowed them to kill much more goblins than what the blinded goblins did. Only Golfimbul resisted both the hobbits and the daylight and slayed many hobbits on his way and pushed his forces to double their attack against the hobbits. The battle did not seemed to see the end until Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took, who was so huge, for the hobbit, that he was even able to ride in the back of the huge adult horse, climbed into back of the horse and charged the ranks of the goblins, challenging Golfimbul to the fierce duel. With the daylight on his side and while the goblin king was blinded by the sunlight, with a wooden club he knocked Golfimbul's head clean off, sending it sailing a hundred yards through the air and down a rabbit-hole, thus breaking the remaining goblins and winning the battle and simultaneously inventing the game of golf._ " Gandalf explained.

"That's my favorite story when I was dwarf's knee-high." Hustlin said after Gandalf finished the story about the battle of the Greenfields.

"But how does this relate to this one this Nazihra met?" Groff asked.

"Probably, this Gorboglin was related to Golfimbul. He was probably even his son, like the orc king of Moria and Gundabad before his dead in the Battle of the Five Armies, Bolg, was the son of Azog the Defiler. And probably like Bolg did with his father back in the battle of Azanulbizar, Gorboglin was obviously with his father during the battle of the Greenfields, where he witnessed his father's death in the hands of Bandobras "Bullroarer" Tookbut survived himself and escaped back to the mountains with the others survived goblins." Gandalf said.

Groff growled in deep disgust and hatred after the mention of that name, Azog the Defiler, the gigantic and pale-skinned Gundabad orc, who was both feared and deeply hated among the people of dwarves. The mention of his accursed name reminded Groff about the fateful event how that accursed one had tortured, murdered and then disgraced with unspeakable way the dwarven king Thrór, the Heir of Durin, at the East-Gates of Moria by carving his name to Thrór's forehead and returning his head to our people with a small pouch of coins. And even allowing Thrór's body to be hacked apart by his minions and his body's pieces were fed to the ravens, with the deeply insulting declaration of himself as the king of Moria and with the vow to grand the similar fate for any "beggars," as he called my people, who dared to enter Moria in attempt of thievery.

"Azog the Defiler! Curse upon of that name!" Groff muttered angrily and with disgust as he kept remembering the past events.

That accursed orc's actions had deeply angered Thrór's son, Thrain, thus driving him to declare the great War between of the orcs/goblins of the Misty Mountains and Mount Gundabad and my from from Azog's terrible murder act deeply offended, outraged and vengeful people.

And as the veteran of the final Battle of Azanulbizar, Groff remembered that day as well as yesterday. He remembered well

As the veteran of the Battle of Azanulbizar, Groff remembered that day like it was yesterday.

He remembered himself standing in the front ranks of the dwarven army and watching how the hills and cliffs all around of the East-Gate of Moria were swarming with the massive hordes of Gundabad orcs and goblins of the Misty Mountains like the endless black sea or the huge black wave which was about to hit to the shore. It was like Azog the Defiler had gathered to there as an army around of him the every orc and every goblin from every underground cave, tunnel and mountain settlement of all around the Misty Mountains.

He remembered that it was dark winterday, due to the fact that the sky was covered by the Misty Mountains dark storm clouds and blocking every daylight from reaching to the ground, thus giving the enemy the advantage and allowing them to swarm in the outside of their caves in the great numbers. Groff knew, as all the free peoples of Middle-Earth, that the orcs and goblins living in the underground hated the daylight which bothered greatly their sensitive eyes, blinding them, and forcing them to stay in their protective caves away from the sunlight. Seldom the Orcs and goblins move in the outside, under the sunlight, but due to the dark day, they had became more and more daring, swarming and meaner without the fear of sunlight.

He remembered that terrible battle, during of which the hills and cliffs were immediately covered by the red dwarf blood and black orc blood and tens of thousands slayed, broken and mutilated bodies of both dwarves and orcs. The dwarves had fought well and killed many orcs and goblins, but the enemy's greatly outnumbering force and being rallied into a doubled massive and bloody counter-attack against them by Azog, who was leading his forces in the front, nearly wiped out the entire dwarven army with the one strike if Náin hadn't timely arrived to battle with the fresh dwarven reinforcements from the Iron Hills and turned the tide of battle by brutal force against the orcs and the goblins, thus leading the battle ending up to the victory for the dwarves and the complete extermination of Azog's forces and Azog was finally slayed by the young and brave Dáin II Ironfoot, son of Náin.

But Groff remembered yet that there was no feast of victory nor any song had been sang on that day... due to the fact that the dwarves had cost the high prize for the victory. There was nearly nothing left from their armies. Tens of thousands of dwarves had been slain and mutilated by the orc blades, brutally trampled to dead under of the orcs filthy legs or being mercilessly pushed or threw over the cliffs to their deaths by the orcs. Due to the count of their dead being too great, the survived dwarves were unable to take their dead back to home for the honorable funerals. And towards th end of the battle, Náin had been killed by Azog at the gates of Moria and Thráin had mysteriously disappeared, leaving his fate as the eternal mystery to the dwarves and leaving them to believe that he had either taken as the prisoner or killed by the orcs.

Groff had his own reasons to hate Azog's name, because due to his terrible actions which led to the War between the Orcs and Dwarves, Groff had also suffered the loss of the members of his family in the Battle of Azanulbizar.

Groff remembered having witnessed from aside, how his father Gruff was killed by one Gundabad orc, who smashed with the huge orc mace his father's head inside of his helmet, crushing his skull and killing him instantly and that his young brother Graff had been killed by another orc by brutally stabbing to his throat for three times with the knife from behind after he had gone into shocked state after witnessing their father's cruel demise and he was left to lay in the ground to slowly choke to his own blood. Moreover, his only son Greff was severely wounded from his knee and trapped to the cliff by the orcs, who had then mercilessly threw him over the cliff to his death. Groff remembered how he had gone from the shocked state into the berserk-like rage after witnessing his father's, his brother's and his son's cruel deaths in the hands of orcs, leading himself to savagely attack and brutaly mutilate every orc on his way as retribution.

Groff eventually snapped out of his traumatic memories and turned back to the others.

"His father's death and the defeat in the battle of Greenfields has not been forgotten by Gorboglin and his people. And now, when our full attention had been in defending Erebor from falling under the darkness, he has been gathering his own forces in the Valley between of the Mountains of Angmar and the Hills of Ettenmoors and plans to return to the lands of the Hobbits with the intention of termination the triumph which his father failed to gain over the Hobbits. And I'm sure that this time his attack is going to be much heavier than what it was during of his father's time that unsuspecting hobbits certainly do not stand the any change against them this time... even with the help of young Halbarad and his Dûnedain rangers guarding the borders of the Shire, they seems to be mostly powerless." Gandalf explained.

"Then we gotta stop these worms before they're able to harm anyone of those unsuspecting halflings." Elegrant said. Even though he was the man of Gondor and he had seen very rarely any hobbits in his life, he had the strong feel of responsible over any kind of defenseless people's safety, both gondorians and now even the hobbits.

"Elegrant is right. We gotta send the word to Halbarad and order him to double their guards in every outpost in the border of the Shire... and even prepare his forces to get ready for this upcoming attack." Evidin said, deeply angered that the Halflings are in the grave danger of being attacked by the army of vengeful goblins and they do not suspect a thing.

"And we shall, Evidin. That's why I called all of you here, but first we have to find out that what Nazihra and Gorboglin meant about their hostile activity against the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien." Gandalf said with the concerned tone.

"That's impossible fro them to attack to that beautiful Forest. Under of the watch and power of Lady Galadriel and the watchful elven patrols all around of the borders of that forest, no enemy can ever trespass in that forest without being undetected and never get out of there alive." Felenar said with the concern in her voice.

"But Evidin mentioned that that ancient witch said that she was going to send one of her own minions to make sure that the conquest of Lórien is successeed. How ever the goblins are gonna invade and take over that forest from the elves, I'm a bit sure – and I mean it, only a bit – that due to that witch's minion being on the side of the goblins, that forest isn't gonna hold against the army of goblins a very long." Elegrant said.

Felenar targeted at him her offended scowl for his suspectings about her homelands defensive system.

"Are you saying that Lóthlorien is like voluntarily handed over to the swarm of goblin bandits or that that forest is easily to be conquered by the evil forces like the abandoned corners and deserted woodlands of Ithilien in your own lands of Gondor? Do you really think so, Elegrant of Gondor? You do not know anything about the powers which are protecting the forest of Lóthlorien from any kind of evil who dares to trespass to inside of its borders. Unlike the southern-side of the neigthbor forest Mirkwood, Lóthlorien isn't never gonna fall under of the invaders neither the darkness no matter how hard they even try." Felenar said with offended tone.

"I'm afraid, my dear Felenar, that I'm a bit agree with Elegrant about what he just said." Gandalf said apolotically, which caused Felenar to turn from Elegrant to him with the confused expression on her face.

"Because Nazihra is one of the most powerful servants of evil, even though she's under the Witch-King, the Nazgûl and the _Dark Lord_ himself, she has very dark and powerful ancient witchcraft, which she has most certainly taught to her sorcerer minions, who probably are indeed intent to use it against the elves of Lóthlorien. I don't yet know how the one of them, who Nazihra sent to Lothlorien with Gorboglin's invading forces, is gonna use it against the elves." I hate to say this, but even though conquering Lóthlorien isn't gonna be easy task for invading goblin forces, it's going to be partially easy for them but remains still mostly difficult even under the leadership of one of Nazihra's minions, even though when Lady Galadriel is on her way to the White Council meeting in Rivendell."

"Well, if Lady Galadriel isn't their target from Lóthlorien, now when she's on her way to Rivendell, then who is then "she" Nazihra and Gorbogling were talking about in their meeting while planning their invasion to Lóthlorien?" Evidin asked.

"I think that it's maybe about Elrond's daughter Arwen Undomiel, who's visiting at her grandmother last I knew. I don't know the main reason why Nazihra and Gorboglin are after her, but probably in intent to hold her as the hostage in order to make sure that the elves of Rivendell do not interfere to Gorboglins invasion against the hobbits and men of Dûnedain by order of Elrond in exchange for his daughter's life and well-being. Probably as part of Gorboglin's plan to terminate his father's invasion to Shire without the fear for the elven counter-attack, because we all know that the goblins are highly poor fighters against the might of the elves."

Gandalf took a brief pause before he continued.

"All of that what we've already been through, is the reason why I called you here, my friends. Because the meeting about this ominous events in the White Council is soon upon of me, I have no time to look after the Lóthlorien for Lady Galadriel neither after the safety of Shire. That's why I called all of you in here because I need you to protect the peoples of both Eriador and Rhovanion from the growing evil, which threatens the unleash the war against the unsuspecting free peopless against the Eriador – against all hobbits, elves and men of Eriador - and at the same time against the elven woodlands of Rhovanion while my own attention is completely elsewhere." Gandalf said.

"Am I and Nicholas part of this as you called me and Nicholas here to be involved to this meeting, Gandalf?" Hustlin asked curiously and a bit uncertainly.

"Because you're blood of the family of Smartasses, you know many kind of tricks of secretly, silently and invisibly hiding, burglary and pick pocketing and verbal scams, young hobbit, there's maybe a bit more than just use for your skills. And maybe some use for Nicholas cooking skills." gandalf said to the hobbits.

"Well, what do you say, my friends? How do you answer for my... appeal for help?" Gandalf asked from everyone of them on the table, allowing to them of course some time to consider their decision after they had all found out the reason why they were called to this secret meeting in the Prancing Pony.

"When the Shire is under of a serious threat, I'm gonna stand against the threat and I do not care if there's a one thousand of goblins against me or else my name is not Hustlin Smartass!" Hustlin eagerly declared.

"For pantries!" Nicholas declared as well.

Also it did not took long from from Evidin, Felenar, Groff and Elegrant to decide.

"I'm duty-bound to protect the peoples of Eriador, Gandalf. And I'm ready to do anything to keep them safe from the evil as long as I'm still breathing. I'm in, Gandalf." Evidin said humbly.

"Aye! If the hobbits and men of Eriador... and the elves as well... aren't safe from this upcoming war against us, neither are the dwarves in the Blue Mountain or in Erebor safe from the darkness. Besides, as long as the orcs still exist, I have a score to settle with each and every last one of them. I'm part of this group as well." Groff said proudly.

"In the memory of the dead of my people, and in order to save my homeland from the dark witchcraft and upcoming invasion, I'm more than just willing to join this group." Felenar asnwered gently, still a bit sorrow in her voice.

Then, they all turned their attentions to Elegrant, who was the last one in the table, who hadn't yet decided anything.

"I can't believe that were gonna face a new darkness, new an ancient evil which is coming towards from the north, behind out backs while the greatest threat of all dwells in the Black Land far in the South-East, which is constantly, tirelessly and recklessly trying to wreak havoc and terrorize the people all around of the lands of Gondor. There, in no-man's-land between of Gondor and the Black Land, in the beautiful woodlands of Ithilien, my people keeps all a time an eye for the trespassing and plundering orc bandits and allies of the Black Land desperately trying to prevent from trespassing to our lands. We're continually, relentlessly, endlessly and even with the low numbers resisting the Black Land's heavy, outnumbering and never-ending armies attacks against our kingdom. Gondorian blood have been spilled and there's been hundreds occurring acts of arson and other atrocities all around of kingdom of Gondor in the name of the Dark Lord himself! But with the strength, courage and blood of my people, we've barely managed to keep the forces of Black Land at bay and away from most of my my homeland which is still under of Gondor's rule. My duty as the lord of Cai Andros was to guard Gondor's northern borders to prevent our eternal enemies, the easterlings and their filthy hordes of orcs from tresspassing with the hostile meanings in our lands. My men have always followed me into the grim and desperate situation even in outnumbered and yet we've always managed to drive every enemy away. Without me to lead them, I don't know how long the defense of Cari Andros and the northern borders of Gondor will hold against the enemy."

Evidin saw clearly a large, heavy and responsible concern for his men and his homeland's and people's safety in the gondorian captain's eyes as he listed all the problems the kingdom of Gondor was facing everyday due to the fact that the Black Land was standing by neck door of his kingdom.

"But now here is another threat that threatens us from the north, threatening to put our hard pressed in between of two evil forces. Perhaps we gondorians may overcome thus far against the threat coming from the east, but this threat neither cannot be left to unnoticed. If there's yet anything what we can do to with this new threat and to minimize this double threat threatening our lands and the kingdom of Gondor from all sides by eleminating this new threat for good, then Gondor's support is with you." Elegrant proudly declared.

Gandalf stared all of them with the proud smile on his face.

"Thank you for all of you, my friends. I know that by asking you – to protect Middle-Earth at all costs - I'm maybe asking for too much from all of you, because it's a huge world threatened by the powerful evil, which is unpredictably coming from everywhere, and that there's only six of you to resist that evil and preventing the evil forces to carry out its dark plans of conquer, but I know that in deep in your heart that you think the best for your people and their safety, their freedom and their future and that you're ready to do anything for them, even risking and even sacrificing your own lives for their freedom and future. And all of you have my thanks for it." Gandalf said.

"Now when we're all six in one mind, what is the first task you're about to grant to us, Mithrandir?" Felenar asked.

"I've been informed by the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains, that there's been in the mountainside nearby of the forest of Lóthlorien opened by the magic the huge crack, from which has been flooded out of the herd of goblins who are allied with the mountain giants, cave-trolls and the giant spiders of Mirkwood. They have prepared for the invasion to Lóthlorien and they're ready to attack to there within the week's days. I want you to go there and stop their invasion before they reach to the Caras Galadhon and to Arwen Undomiel and, if necessary, she must be brough back to Rivendell in safety, because the forces of evil do not yet know the location of Rivendell. To make your trip to go faster, I've already summoned Gwaihir, the lord of the Eagles, to bring some other eagles to give to you the ride over the Misty Mountains. They obviously don't dare to come even close human settlements, because people could even shoot them with their yew bows in the belief that they would try to deprive from them their domesticated animals. But you'll meet them what closer you'll reach to the first downhills of the Misty Mountains after the Trollshaws." Gandalf explained.

"And once were saved the forest and Arwen from the invaders, I think that we should take the minion of Nazihra as prisoner and and interrogate him or her about Nazihra's whereabouts and movements in her conquest of the north, so we might be able to follow and hunt her down and destroy her for good to break her forces from conquering the northen lands of Middle-Earth." Felenar suggested.

"Good. You would do well to do so, and at the same time hunt down and destroy her every sorcerer minion from spreading Nazihra's legacy all over Middle-Earth. Without Nazihra as their leader, without her powerful witchraft and her minions holding the order in her forces of evil, her forces will easily drift into chaos, spread accross the Middle-Earth and leave the free peoples thus far in peace." Gandalf said.

"Then we should not waste time. Lóthlorien is the enemy's first target in the conquest of the north, and we got to get there before them with a one step ahead. And hope that we're not too late to save them." Evidin said.

"I couldn't agree more, Evidin. And now, go, my friends. Middle-earth needs you more than ever. Farewell then and good luck... the Guardians of the Middle-Earth." Gandalf said, before he suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the corner bench where he was sitting a moment ago, much to the shock and confusion of the members of the newly founded group called, as Gandalf named it before mysteriously disappearing...

THE GUARDIANS OF MIDDLE-EARTH.

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 **I hope you liked of the first chapter.**

 **There's some features from Peter Jackson's both Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies and Lord of the Rings games, but the storyline is from the books, as you saw in the spot where Groff remembers the moments in the battle of Azanulbizar.**

 **My apologizes for my english, if you happened to spot some errors in the text during of reading.**

 **See ya again when the next chapter is finished and out.**


	2. Chap2: Travel Plans

GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH  
CHAPTER 2: TRAVEL PLANS

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 **Here again, after the days of one month and I finally got another chapter of the GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH ready.**

 **My apology if this took over one month, but it of course takes some time to plan and write the new upcoming chapters with the thousands words but also writing another fanfiction stories pulls my focus from this one on them.**

 **Well, however, enjoy for reading.**

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Five seconds after Gandalf's sudden disappearance

"Hey! Where did Gandalf go?" Groff asked surprised as he noticed that Gandalf had suddenly disappeared from the spot where he was sitting with them a couple seconds ago.

After having heard their agreement to help him to watch over the northen lands of Middle-Earth while he had another things to do and after of wishing them good luck on their journey, Gandalf had inexplicably vanished from sitting between of Evidin and Elegrant.

"He was sitting right there, right?" Hustlin said as he pointed with his finger at the spoty where Gandalf was sitting a moment ago.

"Then where did he disappeared?" He added.

Nicholas was as stunned as well as Hustlin was.

Also Evidin and Elegrant were as stunned as well as their a new dwarf and the hobbit companions after Gandalf just inexplicably disappeared leaving no trace.

Even though Evidin knew Gandalf well, due to being one of Gandalf's friends as the ranger of Dúnedain, he himself was not sometimes fully aware of the wizard's true powers.

With the surprised and confused expressions on our faces, we rapidly looked to everywhere to see that was the wizard even here anymore.

Only Felenar did not seem to be surprised and stunned about this.

Maybe because she was one of the people of Galadhrim, and yet she lived under of the rule of Lord Geleborn and Lady Galadriel who, according to tales about the Lady of the Lórien, possesses the similar powers to suddenly and inexplicably vanished from the scene without a trace.

"Excuse me, my new friends, but may I remind you we have a much more importand things to be done in other side of the Misty Mountains than trying in vain to look for Mithrandir with your eyes from among of these human visitors, because he's not here talking with us anymore." Felenar said, snapping all of her new friends out of their pointless searching for the wizard with their eyes, plus reminding all of them about the important mission which Gandalf had just granted to them and to which they were supposed to lock all our focus right now.

To travel over the Misty Mountains and head to the Golden Forest of Lothlorien, warn and even save both the Golden Forest and Lord Elrond's daughter Arwen from Gorboglin's upcoming goblin invasion forces heading through the underground tunnels to the south and the forest of Lothlorien.

"Felenar is right, we have to put Gandalf's mysterious disappearing wihtout a trace aside and we have to move on. And we have to hurry through of days and nights to get the other side of the Misty Mountains and get to Lothlorien. Because we do not know where and how far exactly Gorboglin's forces are from the Golden Forest at the moment and one of Nazihra's minions is possibly with them, it is at least clear that we do not have time to even rest on our way from here to the downhills of the Misty Mountains. We continue then from there by crossing the Misty Mountains." Evidin said as he stood up from on his feet.

Felenar nodded at the man of Dúnedain as an agreemend.

However, Elegrant was's a quite agreed about this and neither was Groff.

"Even though I've never crossed the Misty Mountains ever before on my life, tell me Evidin, how exactly are we supposed to cross those mountains full of dangers far safely? And when I speak about the mountains full of dangers, then I mean the mountains full of dangers like those Misty Mountains." Elegrant asked demanding sternly the answers from Dúnedain ranger.

Groff nodded at this.

"Elegrant has the point in this one, Evidin. I've myself crossed the Misty Mountain's paths while heading to the Iron Hills and back a many times over during of my life. And I say that none of those narrowly successeful crosses weren't easy even for the experienced traveler like me."

Hustlin and Nicholas then turned their eyes to the dwarf and captain of Gondor with the asking expression on their faces.

"What do you two exactly mean about all of these "dangers?" Hustlin curiously asked from the man of Gondor and the Dwarf.

Nicholas just kept muching his food.

"Well, the naturalist dangers such of the high chasms and nearly inaccessible pathways, ferocious thunderstorms and its fierce lightings, heavy pouring rain, unrelenting wind, possible rockslides and even earthquakes. I've also heard a lot about the mightiest yet notorious peaks in the Misty Mountains called Caradhras. There's also a lot of snowy yet inaccessible pathways but also the intense frost, unrelenting snow storms and possible avalanches." Elegrant explained slowly and carefully that a little hobbit, who had spent most of his life in Hobbiton peaceful farming lands without the higher knowledge about the outside world, was able to understand.

"And not to mention about the Misty Mountains quite hostile population after my people was driven away from the ancient underground dwarven kingdom of Moria. Those mountains are swarming by unfriendly life-forms, little hobbit. Such like a thousands and thousands of miserable cockroach-like, sickly and stunted goblins swarming in their secret underground tunnels. A huge and dangerous but half-minded mountain trolls, cave-trolls and snow trolls, a mountain-sized stone giants and fleshly mountain giants and ogres, nasty savage wargs, unfriendly hillmen and recklessly blundering orc raiders swarming in the hills and woods in the feet of the mountains hunting for careless and a defenseless travelers and a huge winged monstrous things and gigantic bats and spiders. In there might be even what's left from the wretched race of the dragons... but I'm not sure about that." Groff listed, as he raised his arms up, moved his face closer of the candle's light (only watching for his beard from catching fire in the process) and moved his fingers like he was telling to little kids the scary stories.

But much to Groff's disappointment, he didn't saw any sight of fear in the hobbit duo's eyes. Hustlin was more like rapturous with the eagerness-filled wide eyes and was more than just willing to hear more. Nicholas himself seemed not to be even interested about of everything of those natural or hostile dangers of the Misty Mountains Groff and Elegrant had just listed. He just kept muching his food even though his eyes were locket to the dwarf's direction.

Felenar followed this from aside, and placed her hand over of her face while shooking it lightly, as she felt herself embarrassed for the dwarf's current doings.

"Dwarves..." She muttered with the embarrassed tone.

"Alright, alright, alright, Groff and Elegrant. Enough. You two would be best to quit before the Hobbits begin to see the nightmares of all those dangers that we may face on our way to the other side of the Misty Mountains." Felenar said with the scolding tone to the man of Gondor and especially to the dwarf, who loudly snorted to the elf as a respond.

"Felenar is right. You two should have stop before the hobbits have enough and go home even though our journey has not even begun. Because the hobbits are not mentally and physically accustomed to the long journeys and fighting against those hostile obstacles, unlike the four of us have already done, due to them being the most peaceful farming race of all the other races of Middle-Earth. He may have called these two over here, because he assumes that the hobbits are able to do something like that in what is most needed dexterous and almost virtually undetectable little people like hobbits, instead of using the raw force of the swords and axes. And I trust in Gandalf in this one, but we should have not fill their hearts with fear or we can take the journey without them." Evidin warned.

However, instead of being scared of those dangers Elegrant and Groff had just listed, the hobbits were in fact excited, much to Evidin's and Felenar's surprise.

"It's okay, Evidin. I'm not afraid to face the world, even though I've not physically and mentally accustomed to the outside world, I answered to Gandalf's call mostly because I've for a long time dreamed about the adventuring all around of Middle-Earth, to experience and see the world what I've only seen in the maps, books and heard in the stories around of the bonfire. Most of my people are only laughed at this dream, claiming that their current careless life is much better than traveling un-hobbit-like all around of the outside world like Mr. Bilbo did a couple years ago. I loved his stories about his and his fellow dwarf companions adventures through the wilderness and across of the Misty Mountains, through the dark Mirkwood and barren wasteland of around of the Lonely Mountain, their encounters with the elves of Lord Elrond's house and the elves of the elvenking's halls of Mirkwood, with a Skin-changer Beorn, with the Great Eagles – I hope that we'll see those legendary birds on our way – and with the lakemen and their misfortunes with the three trolls, with the stone-giants, with a nasty goblins, with the giant wolves and giant spiders of Mirkwood and yet with the dragon itself. I also loved the part of the great Battle of the Five Armies he was telling to us in the bonfire. And I'm itching to experience all of that myself." Hustlin explained.

Nicholas then paused his munching to say something.

"And I guess that I was called within this journey only because of my masterful cooking skills. Who will even bother to travel over the land with an empty stomach?" Nicholas quickly asked before he soon continued munching his food.

Evidin was quite impressed of this hobbit's adventurous nature inspired by the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins own stories about his own adventure far into the east, always to the Lonely Mountain.

In fact, Evidin liked that story too. He had often stopped on his way and willingly joined to the hobbits around of the bonfire when Bilbo was about to tell to young little hobbits his story.

"And I though that the hobbits aren't even interested about traveling all around of the outside world due to being stationary and peace-loving farming people." Elegrant said, not quite sure about that should he be either surprised or impressed Hustlin's openly explained adventurous nature.

"Me neither, even though I've heard among of my people a many respected tales of Mr. Baggins helping my kinsmen to take over our ancient kingdom and home Erebor back from that wretched wyvern... a many times over. Even this one should not be a new thing and suddenly surprising to me and, since only a few Hobbit is like that so adventurous." Groff said.

Felenar turned her warm and proud smile down to the hobbits.

"Are you really sure about this, young hobbit? This journey might be long, hard and even more dangerous than this Mr. Bilbo's own journey." Felenar said gently.

Hustlin noddded eagerly and Nicholas just raised his thump as an agreement.

Then Evidin opened his mouth.

"Good. Now my friends, it's time to pack everything we need, and enough for it, for our way along of the Great East Road, which takes us past of the Wathertop, Trollshaws and Rivendell to the downhills of the Misty Mountains. We may have an four-day journey from the town of Bree to there, if we borrow four five horses from here." Evidin explained.

"But should we also buy a towed wagon for everything what we need on our journey to the downhills of the Misty Mountains? I'm not very good to ride with the horse, thus being a dwarf and I have a very heavy travel goods for the farmer horse or pony to carry, and there's no way that I could be the able to keep after you others if I'm walking on foot." Groff said.

That was kind of true, because the dwarves usually dressed into the heavy clothes and protective gear in case of being ambushed by the hostile orc or human bandits. It made them not only well protected, also heavier and slower.

Groff seemed to know this very well by himself.

And not to mention of the heavy dwarven armor he was carrying with him.

"Then it would be eight-day journey from here to the downhills of the Misty Mountains, Groff, and we must hurry because we do not know how when Gorboglin's forces are supposed to strike to the Golden Forest." Evidin said.

"But how we're supposed to walk through the dangerous Misty Mountains? Crossing those high and dangerous mountains might take the eight days as well before we reach to the other side, no matter if we do or not sleep and rest on our way." Elegrant asked, reminding Evidin at the same time about his earlier question.

"Didn't you heard what Gandalf said to us before he disappeared, Elegrant?" Felenar asked a bit with the scolding tone from the man of Gondor.

"He said that he had send the request to the Lord of the Eagles, Lord Gwaihir, to sent some eagles to wait for us in the lower hills of the Misty Mountains near the secret valley of Imladris to pick us and carry us over the Misty Mountains. Lord Gwaihir had sent his positive answer to Gandalf judging by his saying this to us before disappearing and they're either on their way or them already there waiting for us. Besides, on their backs and with the speed of the wind carried by their wings, we might bee in the other side of the Misty Mountains withing day or two." Felenar explained.

Elegrant created the questioning expression on his face as he looked at the elf.

"Are you telling me that were gonna fly in the back of the eagles instead of going on horses throught the wilderness and the mountains?" Elegrant asked uncertain from the elf...

...to which Felenar answered by the positive nod.

Suddenly, Hustlin began to jump around out of the pure eagerness and excitement and he started rapidly pull his arms alternately up and down like a child who's very enthusiastic about something, after the hobbit heard Felenar mentioning about the Great Eagles of the Misty Miuntains.

"WA'HOOOO! THIS IS WONDERFUL! We're gonna meet the eagles! We're gonna meet the eagles! We're gonna meet the eagles! We're gonna meet the eagles! We're gonna even fly with the eagles!" The hobbit shouted with the excited tone and quite loud voice...

...of which others did not have to be worried about, because Evidin's spelled power shield to cover their subject of speaking from the possible unfriendly-ears among the other visiting townspeople was still on them and the corner where they were still sitting and standing.

"I don't know about the flying over the mountains in the backs of the eagles. Is it even a pretty good idea? I don't really like the high places, such as mountains. I'm getting dizzy even from a branch of the high tree." Nicholas complained.

"Is there not any way we would be able to just go around of the mountains?" Nicholas asked.

"The northern side of the Misty Mountains, starting from the notorious hills of Ettenmoors and the Mountain Gram to the north until the other end of the Mountains of Angmar and the capital of the ancient which realm of Angmar, Carn Dûm, is the most hostile area of Eriador. It's currently too dangerous to even try to cross the lands and the mountains full of the hideous servants and the monsters of darkness. And trying to go around of the mountains from the southern side is much more longer way to go than going cross the Misty Mountains from its middle." Evidin Explained.

After hearing this, Nicholas stopped munching his food, cerntainly having lost his own appetites after hearing that there was no alternate way to get past of the mountains without flying over them above of the clouds and mountain tips.

Hustlin rolled his eyes at his hobbit friend, he was a bit annoyed that his the fellow hobbit companion did not had any adventurous nature in him, except the palatable appetites and his much bigger interest to the food.

After that, Felenar and Elegrant continued their talking.

"But if we're going to take the ride from the eagles to another side of the mountains, then what I am going to do with Hazelmane, my noble and loyal horse? He had carried me through the long and hard way always from the kingdom of Gondor up here. I've took a good care of my horse from its foalhood after I got him as my birthday gift from my father as a little boy, treated him like a brother of his entire life rather than the old and whipped workhorse. We have held one rope in any danger we've encountered and from whuch we've always survived together, he has carried me in his back in every battle against the forces or the darkness and fought side by side with me we've fought and we've always survived from the even bloodiest fights together, and now I'm supposed to abandon him in middle the wilderness to be stolen by the hostile human or orc bandits or to be hunted and eaten by the hugry warg or lonely mountain troll after we've reached to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and flied away in the backs of the Great Eagles?" Elegrant said, opensly showing his brother-like love and concern for the horse he called Hazelmane, who was probably at the very moment resting in the towns horse tables after Elegrant's long way from Gondor to here.

And then, Groff opened his mouth to speak.

"Then why didn't Gandalf asked the Lord of the Eagles to sent his eagles to pick us on their backs from near of the town of Bree. Then Elegrant does not have to abandon his mount in the middle of wilderness but instead it may wait him from here for his master's return... if we even return from our journey of all around of northen side of Middle-Earth." Groff suggested, feeling of compassion towards Elegrant and his brother-like love and convern for his horse, even though the dwarf lacked highly the knowledge about riding, handling and taking care of the horses.

Felenar then turned from Elegrant to Groff.

"Because, the Lord of the Eagles knows that some of the humans are not pleased to see the gigantic eagles of the mountains, because the great Eagles of the Misty Mountains do not dare to come even close of human settlements, because the humans could even shoot them with their yew bows in the belief that they would try to deprive from them their domesticated animals, horses, cows and sheeps, which in fact is true and that will happen sometimes in the human farming lands but it is also their eagle-forms untameable nature. The Lord of the Eagles is not that stupid that he would send his people to the area, where he and his kind aren't welcomed by the humans and to be shot down like the wild ducks to be hunted. Only a few ones of all races of Middle-Earth, who had earned their trust and who are the friends of the Great Eagles, have enough of respect for their own wild and free life and for their own decisions to make sure their own people's safety. We can't force them to do what we want and we can't control them. Even Gandalf can't make the Great Eagles to do what he or anyone else wants and their true loyalty lies only to their own Lord. Only the friend of the eagles like Gandalf can be able to negotiate with the Lord of the Great Eagles and even call them to help, but only then when they're most needed." Felenar explained.

Even though Felenar admited that she herself has never met any of the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains in her entire life, she obviously had heard the many stories about those wise and noble birds, and when she was speaking about them and their own rights, her voice was full of deep respect towards the Great Eagles.

"Which means that we have to meet them in the lower hills of the Misty Mountains." Evidin said.

Elegrant retreaded briefly to his own thoughts about this situation. He clearly did not wanted to abandon his horse to the possible dangers stalking for the defenseless travelers in the wilderness near of the Misty Mountains in the form of the men, orcs or any kind of hideous dark powers serving monster daring to head down from the mountains to the south.

Then Groff got something in the mind.

"If it would not be too much asked from the Great Eagles, then why we can't ask them to carry your horse over the Misty Mountains in their claws while we ride on their backs?" He asked sarcastically before the dwarf bursted to the hearty laugh.

"Yeah, that would be a good solution, unless if your mount is afraid of the high places too." Groff added as he bursted out into another wave of hearty laugh.

However, Elegrant wasn't as amused about the really bad joke, which the dwarf formed about his horse.

As the dwarf, Groff loved the funny jokes and a small fun at the expense of others. The dwarves always had fun at the expense of others or among of their kinsman when they weren't traveling, mining or fighting.

Hustlin and Evidin both looked at this before they looked at each others. Both a man of Dúnedain and the hobbit rolled their eye at this.

Felenar also shook her head and rolled her eyes at the dwarf.

"Har, har, har, Groff. That would not be very wise act and not even good... for the mount himself, if it's carried in the claws of the Great Eagles like the recently hunted rabbit. Besides, that was not so courteous towards the man of Gondor and noble captain of Cair Adros, far more less towards his noble mount." The elven woman said with the scolding tone to the dwarf.

The dwarf immediately turned to the elf and snorted in frustration that the everybody else had such of bad taste to his harmeless joke, especially with Felenar and Elegrant.

"Just harmeless joke. So what?" Groff asked innocently.

Evidin then stepped quickly between of the elf and the dwarf before the argue between of those two, which had ironically kept two of these noble and might people away from each other for the thousands of years with the mutual blaming, a distrust and even hostile relationship instead of the trust and friendship, was able to get even more fiercer.

"Excuse me but may I remind you two that we do not have a time for the useless argue between of you two. We have to prepare for the long journey to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains to our meeting spot with the Great Eagles. And the sooner we get everything ready, the sooner we can leave towards our meeting spot with the eagles. And the sooner we get here, the sooner we'll be flying over the Misty Mountains and be in the borders of Lóthlorien before Gorboglin's forces. So I bid you two to knock it off, and get ready for the long travel."

Evidin's short speech to calm Groff and Felenar was enough to calm them down, though they both left to each others the offensive expression before they departed from their useless argument.

"We'll, at least we cannot leave from the town yet tonight due to possible bandits waiting for us in the woods. Traveling is much more safe in the daylight, which is why we have to spend yet this night in here and prepare for the travel by packing enough of food and water and other needed supplies for the long journey to the Golden Forest and then leave early in the morning. We have to also borrow some strong and good horses from here for the travel to the downhills. And even though it might take from us roughly eight days to reach from here to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains along the Great East Road, we might indeed need the towed wagons to carry with us everything we need for ourselves and for the horses... and of course for the hobbits and Groff to travel. I don't think that we need quite much of weapons on our travel until we arrive to the downhills, because I don't believe that we'll encounter adversities with the potential bandits. But we need to be prepared for anything in case." Evidin explained to the others the travel plans shortly and simply.

"And speaking of potential bandits, what about my horse Hazelmane, Evidin. Such of noble gondorian horse in good shape would be a good and valuable booty for those filthy barbaric bandits, who are in everytime stalking out there. So, there's no way I'm gonna just abandon him to the wilderness just like that to be stolen and sold out as a whipped workhorse or even hunted down by some predator and to be killed out there." Elegrant asked again.

Evidin began to ponder the solution of this to which even Elegrant could agree and to be reliefed for his mount's safety. It was clear that due to being attached with the brotherly bond to his horse, Elegrant would never abandon his noble mount to the wilderness at the mercy of the northen and southern barbaric bandits and hungry predators, such like the pack of wolves, rogue bear or even the wargs of Gundabad, after they had reached to the lower hills and got the ride over the Misty Mountains in the backs of the Great Eagles.

After thinking the perfect solution, Evidin found the way.

"Even though I alrady know every corner of these wilderness, I think we might need a guide, who will take the wagons and horses, including your horse Elegrant, back to the tables of Bree to wait for your return after we've reached to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and got the ride over the mountains from the eagles." Evidin explained.

"Yeah, and you can give a detailed instructions for our guide to deliver to the horse carer of this town, for example that your horse is not for sale if someone far less loving and caring comes to demand the prize for owning a horse for because of its good condition." Groff suggested.

Elegrant was uncertain about this. Back in Gondor, he did not have to worry about the safety of his horse due to Brownhair being under of good care of gondorian horse carers and under of the guard of the gondorian guard. But it was now different in here, in the town of Bree, which is possibly full of dishonest people, the enemy's spies and mercenaries, northern and southern bandits and accursed horse thieves and scammers, which could soon as a suitable opportunity arises to take his horse from the tables of this town as soon as he turns his back. He did not have to be afraid kind of horse theft back in Gondor, but in town of Bree it was Elegrant's a major concern for his horse's safety.

"I don't know, Evidin. I do not dare leave my horse here under the care of these people. Besides, I don't know anyone in here in whose loving and caring hands I could believe my horse. This was much different thing back in Gondor. There was not, after all, need to be afraid for the horse thieves." Elegrant said, still unwilling to departe from his horse just like that after they had reached to the lower hills of Misty Mountains.

But, fully aware of Elegrant's react of that solution like this, Evidin was also prepared for this with the another way... his own people.

"Well then, I just happened to remember that in this town lives two of my good old friends and brothers-in-arms, who moved to live in here a few years ago and built their own horse stables in addition to their own house. Their names are Veradan and Maradan. They're brothers to each others and blood of Dúnedain just like me, and like the raiders of Rohan, they do love the horses they owns like brothers and sisters, just like you love your own like brother, and it would be a painful lost for them if some of his horses if either killed or stolen. They have taken a good and loving care from their own and also the visitors horses during of their time in here. So, I believe that Veradan and Maradan are trustworthy enough for you to trust your horse's safety and well-being in their loving and caring hands." Evidin said.

"Besides, if they would agree, one of them – I believe that Veradan, because he's younger and knows well the eastern wilderness of Eriador – could even act as our guide to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains. There you can safely trust your horse's safety and well-being into Veradan's and Maradan's hands until our return." Evidin added.

"That's a perfect idea, Evidin. In the hands of Dúnedain, your horse will be safe from the bandits and miserable treatment, Elegrant." Felenar said with the positive smile.

However, Elegrant was still uncertain about this.

"What makes you to believe that even the hands of one of your people my horse will be safe... especially if their home and their horse tables are inside of the town and not outside of the town?" Elegrant asked, still not trusting to the honesty of the town of Bree.

"Because, for your horse and their horses, it's much more safe to live inside of the town's walls than outside as the easy prey for the bandits and horse thieves. Besides, once I visited here, they told me that they once caught in act someone from trying to steal a horse from them after they were alarmed by their horses alarming neigh. A thief happened to be the same person, who had earlier on the same day come to them to buy from them with the high prize for owning a certain one mare named a Snowmane, who had the brother and sister-like bond with Veradan. However, Veradan angrily confirmed Snowmane as the family member of his and the brothers refused to give a horse away even though the thief offered a doubled prize for Snowmane. On that night, the same thief tried to take Snowmane forcibly from the brothers and yet he was wielding an ax and threatening to mutilate Snowmane and the rest of the horses with it if he does not get a horse he wants, but he never left from the stables on that night after he left the brothers with no choice to protect their horses from getting hurt." Evidin explained.

"Whatta story!" Hustlin exclaimed both stunned and amazed.

"So, they killed him, right?" Groff asked, to which Evidin responded with the positive node and with the quick explonation that the thief left the brothers with no choice in order to protect their beloved horses from getting savagely mutilated by the thief with an ax, so they did what they had done for their horses and for the safety of the Snowmane.

Even Elegrant was an amazed yet impressed from Evidin's story and from the knowledge that how bonded these two Dúnedain brothers were to their horses as well as the visitors horses like the riders of Rohan and how they even react to the threat against their horses.

"And I though that the riders of Rohan and their own horses had the kind of bond between of the horse and the raider." Elegrant said.

"And they do have, but also some of the Dúnedain and yet some of my people happens to have the similar family-like bonds between of us and our horses, which is shown when we threat each others respectfully and with love and take care of each others like the family members always does, we spend our time together by traveling over the land and protect each others against the any kind of dangers if necessary. Being noble and respectful towards the horse and treating it with the loving and caring manners forms these bonds between of the horse and the rider." Felenar explained, inpressed of Evidin's story.

Elegrant went then immediately silent as he began to consider the right decision to leave or not his horse in the good hands of the Dúnedain brothers Evidin mentioned to have the family-like bond to the horses, both of their own and the visitors horses.

"I will think about it, Evidin, and I give my answer after we get to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains... only, if our guide is one of those brothers you just mentioned." Elegrant said, with the demanding tone of voice.

"I will speak with them about that after we get our travel plans ready and began to pack together everything we need." Evidin confirmed to Elegrant.

Elegrant nodded to the man of Dúnedain gratefully.

Evidin then turned to the rest of the team.

"Alright, here's everything what we need; the rooms for the night, at least two horses available for borrowing for out travel, Veradan to guide us to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and to be able to take the horses, including Elegrant's own mount, back to town of Bree, towed wagons and enough food and water and other necessary equipment for the journey." Evidin listed.

"As I said a moment ago, if Veradan and Maradan aren not yet sleeping, I'll go to ask them to borrow some good horses for tomorrow and that that would Veradan to be willing to guide us to the downhills of the Misty Mountains and bring also Elegrant's horse with their horses to their stable to wait for our return." Evidin said.

"I and Nicholas will take care about the food, water and other supplies we need on this journey. But just in case someone did not bother to borrow a little money with us their purchase, because our own funds are not heavily invested enough to everything." Hustlin suggested.

"Allow me to help you, little hobbits. As a traveling silvan elf of Galadhrim, I also have experience in cooking a good nutritious food in the elves way. I'll help you two to choose the perfect food ingredients from the stores of this city." Felenar suggested as she willingly agreed to go with the hobbits as an company and advisor in picking the perfect ones of the food ingredients and other supplies.

The hobbits accepted the elf's help and a company.

"That's very kind from you. Thank you, uh, I meant... uh... uh... Han-, uh, hanna-, how did the elves exactly said it? Uh... Haf-haffen le... by my dirty toes... uh..." Hustlin stammered in his words as he fiercely and rubbing his head's hide tried to find out how it was said "thank you" in the elvish. He has not studied much or not at all the elvish language even though he had heard Mr. Bilbo often speaking some words in elvish back in around of the bonfires ack in the Shire.

Felenar patiently allowed the hobbit have a time to find out how "thank you" was said in her people's language.

Fifteen minutes later...

It took roughly over fifteen minutes from Hustlin to think it but the little hobbit still had not any idea about how to say "thank you" in elvish and the little hobbit did not wanted to be rude towards the friendly elf.

"I'm heartily sorry, Lady Felenar, but I just don't get it into my mind at the moment." The little hobbit apologized from the elf with a bit shameful tone for his lack of elvish.

However...

Felenar landed her hand on the hobbit's shoulder comfortingly.

"It is alright, Master Hustlin. It's okay if you do not know my people's language. Only few ones we elves call as Elf-Friends possesses the mastery of the elven language. If you really want to learn elvish, I'll teach you some words of our language and even teach you to speak elvish on our way to the unknown. And by the way, it's said in my people's language as _hannon le_... _hannon le_... but it's okay. But it's okay. You will learn some day." Felenar said wit hthe gentle and motherly tone.

"Hannan le, Lady Felenar... Thank you." Hustlin thanked, even though he notized that he said it once again incorrectly, but Felenar didn't bother for it.

Then Groff opened his mouth to speak.

"I'll borrow some money with you for buing food and supplies, young hobbits, but I of course keep most with me so I can get for us towed wagons, unless those Dúnedain brothers have such of wagons already, of which we could also borrow in addition to the horses. I will also buy some extra weapons for us, like extra bolts for my crossbow and extra arrows for Evidin and maybe also short swords for the hobbits, if it is necessary to teach them how to fight back if we find ourselves in middle of the fight. I think teaching them to use your sword and fight seems to make sense. Don't take me wrong and with no offense, but what benefits of the hobbits would be if we have to take care of not only our own but also their lives as well during the battle. It will interfere greatly our concentration in front of the opponents and make us easy prey for the orc swords. Besides, I do not think that teaching the Hobbits to use your sword and fight would be very difficult, because I have heard that the hobbits could be quite quick to learn a new things. What you guys say?"

The hobbits, at least Hustlin, seemed to be a very, very excited after hearing Groff suggesting of teaching him and Nicholas to use the short swords and fight. However, Evidin and Felenar weren't quite sure of this idea, nor they considered it as a good idea to put the little hobbits, who had a little or not at all experience about the dangers of the outside world into the danger just like that.

"I'm agree with Groff." Elegrant eventually said, snapping both Felenar and Evidin out of their thoughts and they turned their eyes to both Groff and Elegrant with the questioning looks on their faces.

"I don't know about that, Elegrant and Groff, that is it a wise to teach them how to fight and use the weapons. It's just that I don't like the idea that the hobbits, who has no experience of the outside world's dangers and not much skills to defend themselves from it, are put into the danger just like that. Gandalf would not want that." Evidin said as he explained his uncertainty and concern about the idea to teach the hobbits to use the weapons and fight with them.

"Are you two even listening yourself when you suggest something like that just like that, even though you two may know in what kind of danger your suggestion will place the hobbits?" Felenar asked, nearly a bit scolding tone which was mostly targeted to Groff.

In middle of all of this, Hustlin let out the frustrated sigh after the situation, which was formed by Groff's sudden suggestion to teach him and Nicholas to use the weapons and fight with them and Elegrant's like-mindedness about the dwarf's suggestion and his support, and what both Felenar and Evidin were in favor of negation-like reaction like the parents who were standing against the idea.

Both Groff and Elegrant knew that they had to explain the reason to this.

"All what we mean is that the hobbits should be learn to use the weapons and fight instead of be the burden to us in addition to their sneaking and hiding skills... like the swordplay, archery, even using a daggers." Elegrant shortly explained.

"The hobbits are, besides, small by the size and almost invisible in the eyes of the enemy. Thaat's their advantage against the human-sized enemies like the orcs. They just need to stab or slash them to their legs while their focus is on us and they're then done." Groff explained after Elegrant had finished.

"Besides, the hobbits may be small and may look quite harmless and defenseless, the enemy will not see then as a big threat, I guess. But judging from master bilbo Baggins, the hobbits can be bold and even quite spunky as we dwarves. And that's why I like them." Groff added.

Felenar and Evidin looked at each others, still uncertain about the idea to teaching the hobbits to use the weapons and fight them.

However...

Felenar remained uncertain about the idea, but Evidin eventually promised to consider the idea, although he did not actually favored such of idea he neither, due to his concern for the hobbits safety.

However, his own promise to consider the idea had the reason, which was that they had to proceed with their travel plans for tomorrow.

But before of that, Elegrant received the task from Evidin to acquire for all of them the room from inn for the night.

As he walked through the inn's main room's tables and other guests, some of the guests turned their eyes momentarily to the man of Gondor as he passed them. Elegrant found himself in a bit awkward situation under of all those people's, men, dwarves and hobbits, eyes targeted at him, before they turned their eyes away and focused on their own doings after a man of Gondor sternly glared back at them as a wordless and stern warning to take care of their own business.

They were all, especially some men, who were sitting near of the dark corners of the room, probably suspicious about that what Elegrant and his friends were doing/speaking in the corner of the main room. Some of them had even noticed the hobbits among of his friends behaving weirdly like they were excited about something but they didn't heard what they were talking with each others with the concern-looking faces. Actually, thanks to Evidin's magical invisible shield which blocked all noises and voices from reaching to the other side of the shield, the other visitors didn't heard even a single word coming from the corner from where the man of Gondor was himself coming from and heading silently towards the desk, where Barliman Butterbur was standing, probably spotting him already coming to his direction, and prepared himself to serve the man of Gondor.

But before Elegrant even reached to the Desk, he was suddenly and unexpectedly collided with the another already from the main room departing visitor, who was dressed into the black raincoat with his face nearly completely covering hood, who undetectedly rushed from Elegrant's left side.

The collision between of two men was hard and nearly pulled Elegrant to the floor, but it still wasn't enough to knock the strong man of Gondor over to the ground and Elegrant managed to keep his balance under control and so did the strange man, only by holding from Elegrant with his own hands for support.

"Oh, my apologizes, mister. I didn't saw you coming." A man hurriedly apologized from Elegrant and quickly turned around exited from the Prancing Pony's entrance like he had a big hurry to somewhere.

This wasn't new for Elegrant, because sometimes some pocket thieves uses the same techniques to pretent to be accidentally run into someone, in which they usually use their confusion caused by the collision as their advantage to steal their purses from their pockets undetected, after of which they quickly apologize from their victims and quickly depart from the scene. And when the victim finds out that his purse is missing, the thief is already far away out of his and the soldiers reach.

One of those accursed pocket thieves had once tried to steal his own purse, but the stealing had failed and ended instead of running away into the sword fight between Elegrant and the thief after Elegrant had nick in time realized that he had ran into the pocket thief and caaught him in the act as he was trying to pull his own purse out of his own pocket.

Elegrant, however, ended as winner and the thief was arrested by the gondorian soldiers, and as the result of which the pocket theft came to an end at least for now.

Because Elegrant focus was mostly in the glaring people and his goal to ecquire the rooms for him and his friends, he was unprepared for the sudden collision wit hthat stranger man and Elegrant quickly checked himself if his pockets were empty and his purse was missing.

However, the purse was still in his pocket, the safe and sound, much to his confusion.

The recent man was maybe, just maybe, drunk himself into drunk and he had difficult to stay on his feet or then he actually had the hurry to somewhere but he hadn't noticed Elegrant on his way and maybe, just maybe, it was the only sensible reason to why he suddenly collided with him.

"In the next time, watch where you bump into." Elegrant shouted after the rude man, not caring that did the man heard him or not, but instead he returned back to his business and walked in front of the desk to deal his bisned with about that recent accident apologizing Barliman Butterbur.

 _Not one of the rangers of the north, at least I don't think so, but he seems to be coming from_ _much further from the north. He has a habit to visit here a few times every week,_ was the only knowledge Barliman Butterbur was able to give about this rude but mysterious man to Elegrant when he asked about him before completely returning back on business.

And after Elegrant had acquired the rooms from the inn for all of them, he returned back to the corrner and rejoined to his friends as Evidin started to explain more details of their travel plans for tommorow.

Evidin at first made it clear to everyone that, depending on how quickly the preparations were completed if the Dúnedain brothers were willing to help them by borrowing them some of their horses, towed wagons and if they agreed to guide them to the downhills of the Misty Mountain, from where they can take their horses and wagons back, plus take Elegrant's horse with them to their stables to wait their return, they had to leave from the town of Bree just after dawn towards the lower hills of the Misty Mountains to meet the Great Eagles sent to them by Lord Gwaihir and have the ride from them over the Misty Mountains, because it was much more safe to travel under the daylight, due to the possible plunderers and the orcs do not mostly dare to move nor attack in middle of the bright daylight. But because the traveling can turn dangerous and it can even suddenly and unexpectedly end fatally, especially at night, in the wilderness, they had to keep on the move in both night and day without sleeping or stopping unless it was necessary. It was now all about the time and the fact that how quickly they could get to the rendezvous point with the great Eagles and over the Misty Mountains to the another side and to the Golden Forest to warn it's people about from the mountains upcoming attack and perhaps even saving the Golden Forest from the invasion and especially Arwen to prevent them from proceeding in their evil plans for Eriador and its peoples. And they need to hurry if they were about to get there before Gorboglin's in the underground tunnels stroming goblin invaders and one of the Nazihra's minions get there before them.

Evidin then asked if everybody around of the table understood their own part of the preparations and the rest of their plans or shall he repeat the entire preparation and the travel plans through yet again.

After Evidin got from his friends the positive answer that they did indeed understood their own parts in the preparation plans...

"It is then decided. THE GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE EARTH, get ready for the trip, because at dawn... we're leaving TO SAVE THE MIDDLE-EARTH." Elegrand proudly declared.

* * *

After the tasks of the preparations had been divided...

...Evidin secretly from the other visitors removed the protective magical power shield from around of the corner they were about to leave after their preparation plans were ready, and at first, Evidin left the inn to visit at Veradan and Maradan's home to ask from them for horses and towed wagons to potential borrowing and either Nevaran or both of them to "guide" them to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains... plus the possibility for them to take Elegrant's horse under of their care until their return...

...Felenar left the inn with the hobbits and Groff and they headed to the town's stores to gather food, water and necessary supplies like cooking utensils for example, while Groff left to acquire the extra weapons like short swords and bows for the little hobbits and the extra bolts and arrows...

...Only task which was left for Elegrant was to take his friends minor supplies to their room, which was already prepared for then for the night by the Prancing Pony's worker hobbits.

After that, Elegrant decided to visit on his horse Hazelmane on the stables before the bed-time.

Hazelmane, the large gondorian horse with the hazel fur and dark brown mane, was at the moment standing all alone and in peace in one of Bree's stables, to where other visitors had also left their own horses for the night, and he was eating in peace and quiet hay offered for horses by the stable boys.

As Elegrant arrived to the stables to meet his noble mount, Hazelmane immediately recognized the scent of it's owner, paused his peaceful eating and gently neighing moved towards his owner. As Elegrant himself moved closer of his noble horse, he stretched out his hand forward and rubbed gently and his mount's muzzle and brotherly rubbed his mane.

"Hey, Hazelmane. How's the boy?" Elegrant brotherly asked from his mount, which responded with the gentle neigh.

Elegrant smiled brotherly to his mount and kept gently rubbing Hazelmane's muzzle, mane and the left side of his horse's neck.

Elegrant then went straight to the point

"Listen boy. You now need to rest properly, because tomorrow we begin the long journey to the east. We're preparing to leave tommorow at dawn to the Great East Road and head towards the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and we'll be there probably within eight days trip. There's the serious situation in the other side of the Misty Mountains. The evil goblin-king's forces are invading to the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien with the massive numbers and brutal force now when they own defense is quite low when the elven-witch and Lady of that forest is off from that forest, and Gandalf has requested us to go there before them and stop them from conquering that forest and prevent them to kidnap one elf from there, whom they need in their evil plans to conquer the northern lands of Middle-Earth. I don't know how we're supposed to drive the goblin herds off from Lóthlorien, but somehow we will. In addition to this, we have to travel all days and nights to get to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and I don't even know can we even stop for night because of time being against us, but I will try to convince Evidin to stop for the night in the edge of the Trollshaw forest to rest." Elegrant explained to Hazelmane, who listened patiently.

Hazelmane neighed again a hungry for adventures with his master.

However, after seeing his mount to be eager for the new adventure with him, Elegrant's smile dropped by sudden sadness about the fact he and Hazelmane were gonna face after they reach ot the lower hills of the Misty Mountains. Elegrant didn't wanted to hurt his mount's feelings but he knew that he had to tell to Hazelmane something which was very hard to tell to the one he loved like brother and he already knew that even Hazelmane would not like what he is about to say.

Hazelmane neighed gently and the left side of his master's head in the "Is everything alright?" like manners.

Elegrant cleared his throat before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Listen boy. there is sadly a fly in the ointment. When we've reached to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains with our potential guides and other horses... I... I don't... I don't like... like to say... say this straight... stright to your face, but... but after... after we have reached... reached to the lower... lower hills of... of the Misty Mountains... you... you can't come further from there." Elegrant said, stuttering in his words as he was saying this and also fighting against his own tears.

Hazelmane reacted to this as he did expect.

Hazelmane let out the loud neigh of shock after hearing this, which was followed by the gentle heighs of deep sadness and disappointment after thinking that they were heading together to the new adventure and now Elegrant told him that he wasn't able to come with his master.

"I expected that reaction coming from you, boy. and..." Elegrant said...

...until Hazelmane tried to slowly and silently neighing in sadness and disappointment turn around and walk away from Elegrant, but Elegrant quickly but still brotherly and gently grabbed from the left side of his horse's muzzle and turned his head and eyes back to him.

"Listen boy, I know how you're feeling about what did I just said... and believe me, I don't even like this idea as much as you do. But as I a moment ago said, the time is highly against us and we have to reach to the other side of the Misty Mountains before the evil goblin-king's forces get to the borders of the Golden Forest before us. I tried to convince the others to go through the mountain paths with our borrowed horses, but the natural dangers and hostile inhabits of those mountains, plus the unknowledge about the time we have to get to the other side pof the Mountains, made the others to reject it. Besides, Gandalf has already summoned the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains to meet us in the lower hills of the Misty Mountains, from where they give us the ride over the Misty Mountains after we reach to there within eight days of trip." Elegrant explained.

Hazelmane let the questioning neigh out of his mouth to his master.

Elegrant was aware of knowing that what Hazelmane was asking and shook his head.

"Our fellowship's dwarf companion already, though sarcastically or mockingly, suggested this already and I took it as an offense as well as my fellow human and elf companions, because there's no way you're gonna travel over the Misty Mountains by carried in the claws of the eagles like recently hunted rabbit. No way! I don't know are you afraid of the high places but I'm absolutely not gonna allow you to be carried over the Misty Mountains in the claws of the eagles like the rabbit, because they can even by accident to loose their grip around of you and drop you down and their claws might even hurt you. These two are the ones I'll never allow to happen to you. That's why you cannot come further from the meeting place with the eagles. I'm sorry, my brother." Elegrant apologized.

"And I'm absolutely not gonna abandon you in middle of the wilderness we both as the folk of Gondor do not know... I will not abandon you at the mercy of the barbaric human or orc bandits nor the savage warg- or troll-like beasts. But lucky to you, boy. In this town is living two brothers of Dúnedain who loves their owned horses like the family members and treat them wit hthe same love and respect like the raiders of Rohan loves and respects their own horses. Evidin went a moment ago to ask them, if they're able or willing to accompany us to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains with the borrowed towed wagons and borrowed horses. Evidin is also maybe at the moment asking them that if they can take you under of their wings and lovingly care until my return to get you back."

Hazelmane neighed again with the tone of uncertainty to be under the care of the strangers than his master's humble horse carers back in Gondor.

Elegrant saw his mount's uncertainty clearly.

"I know what you're feeling, Hazelmane. I was also uncertain when my fellow companions encouraged me to trust your safety and well-being in the hands of these brothers from the people of Dúnedain. But even though I don't like to leave you behind, I'm sure that you will be in safe under of their care. Their bond wit htheir own horses is so strong that they do not allow anyone to steal or harm their horses... and they'll probably do the same thing with you. I just hope that I'm not going to regret this with a leaden heart made decision. I also hope that you will not be mad at me if I have to leave you behind in the loving and caring hands of these Dúnedain brothers until my return for you. Please do not be mad at me that I had to explain this to you."

Even though Elegrant saw in his horse's eyes still the sadness that he and his master have to be apart of each other after they've reached to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains to meet the great Eagles waiting for them in there, but Hazelmane, however, was agree with Elegrant at least in the fact that he was absolutely not gonna be carried over the Misty Mountains for the risk of being hurted by the eagles claws or being accidentally dropped down by the great birds of the mountains and Hazelmane also knew that his master is always reluctant to leave him behind and extremely unwilling to abandon him to the middle of untamed wilderness. Hazelmane also saw in his master's eyes that he was half-trusting and half-uncertain of leaving his horse even into the hands of the strangers, even though he had informed by Evidin that these strangers cares the horses, theor own and the visitors own horses with the loving care and the respectful treatment, but both of them knew that they needed to be accustomed to the new strangers outside of their home-kingdom, like his master had a moment ago accustomed to his a new travel comrades in the Prancing Pony... now it was his own turn to be accustomed to his a new carers until his master's return for him.

Hazelmane neighed silendly in agreement to his master, though still a slight sadness in his voice, before Hazelmane nuzzled his head to his master, and in return, Elegrant rubbed his mount's neck and mane to his muzzle with the smiling expression.

"Good boy. Now, get some rest and sleep. Tommorrow is a long day. See you at dawn, Hazelmane." Elegrad wished to his horse and departed from the stables heading back to the Prancing Pony as Hazelmane headed towards the corner of his own shed and went to lie down the ground.

* * *

But as Elegrant was about to enter through of Prancing Pony's doors, a small black rat suddenly jumped off from his clothes pocket completely undetected by Elegrant.

After that, the rat ran along a streets and dirty alley's of the town, watching only the street cats, heading to the small, old cottage, which was in very poor condition and half-rotten due to being abandoned at the mercy of time and the rain without any kind of refurbishment and which was located to a remote corner of the town.

After the rat had fit inside through the small hole in the cottage's rotten door, the small rodent then quickly ran to the table in middle of the cottage's one room and climbed along the table's foot on the table.

Once the rat had reached on the top of the table, it rushed to the next of the wooden chair, which was sdanting in the next to the table on which the rat was standing.

In the chair was sitting silently the dark figure, which after sensing the rat standing on its hind legs, squeaking at the figure as it looked at him with it's blood-red eyes, the figure then turned slowly his head to the rat and slowly stretched out his hand towards the rat from under of the huge sleeve of the night-dark hooded and robe-like raon coat - the similar one like the one on that drunk but hurrying figure which has collided with Elegrant earlier in the Prancing Pony's main room as he was about to hurry to somewhere out of the inn.

If there was anybody in the presence instead of the rat, he or she would have let out the vomit after seeing the figure's hand, which was like under the sickness of plague or like the figure had recently risen from the grave.

The figure's hand was extremely skinny with the long skinny fingers - one of which was even dislocated and in the chills-giving position - with the long pointy and dirty nails and with the skin-color of the dead rotten flesh. The hand's skin was in the shreds, exposing the rotten flesh and even bones from under of the flesh and the hand was full of the rotten points, abscesses and the rotten holes full of scavengering caterpillars and cockroaches.

But without the hesitation, the rat jumped on the figure's hand and the figure lifted the rat in the level of his right ear.

The rat whispered with the silent squeaking something in the figure's ear for the next fifteen minutes.

"Well done, little one." The figure said with the deep and dark choking-like tone of voice, before he wrapped his skinny fingers around of the rat's form and mercilessly squeezed the life out of the in pain squeaking rodent, digging in the process his long nails into the rat and letting the rodent's blood to spill along his arm.

The figure then let out the dark chuckle out of his mouth as he opened his hand and let the rodent's lifeless, crushed and bloody body to fall on the table.

The figure then took from somewhere the blood-red-eyed vampire bat onto his dead hands and whispered to the bat's ears everything he had learned from the rat he just had killed.

And after the figure had whispered everything important to the bat's ear, the figure took the bat through the cottage's broken window-hole and released it into the night-dark sky.

The dark figure briedly watched after the bat as the winged black animal flied higher over the town's buildings before it headed to the north.

* * *

 **I hope that all of you who read this story enjoyed this chapter...**

 **A new chapter is on its way.**

 **Until the next time, see ya very soon I hope.**


	3. Chap3: Valley of Angmar

GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH  
CHAPTER 3: VALLEY OF ANGMAR

* * *

The black vampire bat the dark figure sent to fly towards the north from the town of Bree had to fly the long way to reach to the MOUNTAINS OF ANGMAR!

Through the pouring rain...

Through the fierce wind...

Through the violently stormy skies and lightings...

Through the dark night, in which it was absolutely impossible to navigate the direction...

And avoiding the bat-eating animals like hawks and owls during the fly...

The bat was once indeed very near to end up to be eaten by the hawk, which the bat was able to lose from its tracks by flying through of between the high and densely grown trees under of the darkness.

The vampire bat itself, despite of all of these adversities whuch slowed its going, flied with the double-speed towards the northen mountains without stopping in anywhere to rest nor feast with the animals nor humans blood.

It had it's orders to carry out the very important information to the _one_ its master served.

Within the night, the bat reached to the southern hills of the mountains of Ettenmoors and was about to enter to the air space of the Valley of Angmar.

* * *

THE VALLEY OF ANGMAR!

The large open area between of the notorious Hills of Ettenmoors and ancient northern Mountains of Angmar. Once part of the ancient and evil Witch-Realm of pure evil, hideous creatures and dark witchcraft ruled by the Witch-King, the Lord of the _Nazgûl_ and the Right-Han-Man of the _Dark Lord Sauron_ , the lord of the _Black Land_ of _Mordor_ far in the south. In there, the Lord of _Nine_ had gathered or bred the hideous and barbaric arny of orcs, evil men and hideous monsters for the war against the people of númenoreans in the ancient and terrible war between of kingdom's of Arnor and Angmar and terrorized the free peoples of Eriador with the dark witchcraft sending plagues, corrupting more noble númenoreans with their armies to join them, poisoning the lush and fertile lands of Eriador and even using the necromancery to rise the dead to fight for him after conquering the Barrow Downs.

Nowadays, the Valley was only deserted wasteland full of the ruined and abandoned Angmar temples, cities, settlements, fortresses, the orcs rotten war camps, deep chasms, labyrinthic rocks and caves full of the hideous, savagely feral and untameable creatures, whose existence had fallen into oblivion over the centuries before and after the fall of the Kingdom of Angmar.

Everyone in Eriador, even the servants of the darkness, had avoided that life-threatening Valley like plague.

And it has remained to been abandoned for centuries since Angmar's fall.

But not anymore...

Now the Valley of Angmar has been once again conquered under the control of the dark powers, which had secretly reclaimed the plains, mountains, cities and fortresses of Angmar during of the Erebor's Quest.

All the evil and feral creatures had either destroyed, thrown out or caught for beneficial use in the armies of the dark powers.

The orcs and other evil creatures under of control of the evil had began to swarm down to the Valley from the caves under of the Misty Mountains, Mountains of Angmar, the Hills of Ettenmoors and the Mount Gundabad and they had reclaimed the ruined and abandoned settlements, cities and the fortresses of Angmar in the Valley's mountain borders and in the mouth of the Valley as their own once again.

The orcs had also built from stone the dozens of orc outposts and settled the hundreds of orc war camps all around of the Valley of Angmar, whuch have every day after day, month after month and year after year grown larger and larger, until the small outsposts had turned to the large stone fortresses and the war camps had turned to the orc towns, full of the orc tents, wooden shacks and tall shack-like lookout towers. These towns were surrounded and protected by a ring-line of the lookout orc towers or the stone walls with the deep spiked moats and the large iron-wood gates, and the towns were able to settle hundreds, even thousands and thousands of orcs and other hideous creatures serving the powers of evil.

And as the evil powers of darkness took over the Valley and the mountains and hills arround of it, as a first thing they took over some large human cities from near of the mouth of the Valley, burning down the nearby villages, cutting the nearby forests down, turning the destroyed cities into the outpost fortresses in the posses of orcs and enslaving hundreds, even thousands, of people of Eriador for the lifelong slave labor for the powers of darkness.

That's why from the mouth of the Valley to inside of the Valley was coming hundreds and hundreds of the huge wagons pulled forwards by the Great Beasts* or by mountain trolls and driven by the orcs. Some of the wagons were loaded with the trees stolen from the northern woodlands of Eriador and some of them with the cages, inside of which had been locked dozens of captured people of Eriador. Some were again loaded with usable loot from the human cities.

They had also conquered some dwarven settlements in the mountains and enslaved thousands dwarves, placing them into the lifelong slave labor with their human slaves.

While orcs either conquered or reclaimed or settled and build their own fortresses and outposts, the other servants of darkness, mostly the black númenoreans, reclaimed most of the ruined and abandoned cities, temples of Angmar and the ancient city of Carn Dûm itself, in which at least the black númenorean sorcerers were able to continue to work their dark witchcraft.

When the Valley was abandoned, the land was covered by the Ash gray and grayish brown cloud, which immediately turned into the darker and night darker after the Valley was reclaimed.

The darkness came either as the gigantic and dark thunderstorm cloud created by the dark witchcraft or then it came from the thick black smoke, which rose into the skies from the thousands and thousands orcs work areas, which were built around of the entire valley in the feet of the mountains of Ettenmoors, Misty Mountains and Mountains of Angmar.

They had build there hundreds of lumber mills, where the orcs burned the hundreds and hundreds from the Eriador's woodlands stolen trees to feed their fires in their furnaces and orc forges, armories and siege works, where the orcs melted the tons and tons of metal their enslaved human and dwarf slaves had mined in the mines under of the mountains and where thousands and thousands orc smiths plus human and dwarf smiths, both allies and slaves, were forging the hundreds of thousands of weapons and armors for the everyday growing army and dozens war-machines for the conquest of the north.

The workers, both orc workers and enslaved humans, were at the same time building in the same areas an army by breeding all of time in a thousands orc pits hundreds and hundreds the fresh orcs, of which they separated the weakest and into slave labor fitting individuals. The workers and slaves were also trying to tame some of the Valley's hideous creatures to make them part of the armies of the dark forces, and the high-ranked messengers were sent to form the alliances with the lumbers, hill-men and more goblin tribes/clans and mountain giants to increase and strengthen the army to even greater.

Through the creation of the new fresh orcs and more evil allies allying with them, their numbers growned with hundreds within day, with thousands within the week... and within a one month, with tens of thousands.

The newborn orcs, who had more barbaric and savage nature and thus selected as orc berserkers, were trained in the training areas for the single goal... to kill... by allowing them to slaughter dozens to useless labelled orc workers as well as hundreds of to useless labelled, unarmed and thus defenseless human slaves with the savage means at first, and the slaughtering continued when they were given the a variety of orc weapons.

Those larger, stronger and more intelligent newborn orcs, who were selected as orc soldiers for the orc infantry, were trained with a harsh and iron hand to march and fight in disciplined troop units and formations against the enemy infantry, archers and cavalry using more often the long spears, wide shields and orc bows.

In the training of the newborn orcs or to the slave labor dead or dying slaves were fed to the orc soldiers.

The training of the newborn orcs and the slave labor was all of time watched by the high-ranking, cruel and sadistic overseers and taskmasters, either high-ranked orcs, who were mounted or dismounted with the giant wolves of Gundabad, or even more cruel black númenoreans with their black backs cutting whips, and even by some with the Great Beasts* both mounted and dismounted high-ranking Gundabad ogres

The orc/man overseers and taskmasters always takes the pleasure of punishing their lazing or slowing slaves and from their agony when they get the change to punish them by whipping them with their backs cutting whips. The ogre overseers and taskmasters always ended up to beat the sluggish ones to death with their spiked clubs or bare fists.

The orcs had also managed to capture several dozens of the hideous monsters, which were scattered all around of the northern mountains and this Valley and lived as feral beasts after Angmar's downfall, and locket them into the large caves for to be tamed and then trained as the orcs war beasts...

...the creatures in addition to mountain giants, ogres, wargs, the Great Beasts* and trolls such like the several ground flocks of the giant feathery but flightless dire-birds, bigger than horses or either as faster or slightly faster than the horses, and thus able to catch them with ease, and extremely nasty carnivorous bird-monsters walking with two legs and moving in the walking flocks, smart flock predators, strong enough to make high leaps, difficult to capture and dangerous when they're threatened. They're like the hideous travesty of the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains...

...such of creatures like the smoke gray-skinned and sneaky creatures with the snake-like slithering bodies, the lizard-limbs and the mouths full of sharp teeth. Some of them were a huge, able to swallow the hobbit a whole, and some of them were small but extremely nasty, fast and deadly all the same. They were were-worms or somehow belonged to the were-worms species, less devastating than the big ones of their kind but more swarming and nastier than the big ones. The orcs kept these nasty creatures in the hideously forged cages to wait for to be used.

...The mountain apes, the large, troll-sized and troll-like and aggressive gray- or white-furred carnivorous primates, who lives in the great societies on the snow-capped mountains.

...the feral and skeletal human-like and sometimes hideously deformed monsters with the long skeletal clawed legs and arms, dead rotten skin, large and glowing eyes, slit-nostrils and the mouths full of the dirty but sharp teeth. They were called ghouls and lived in the underground tunnels and caves and like the orcs, they hated the daylight and came out only at the nighttime. They had also the strong muscles and reflexes and were able to climb like monkeys in the stone walls and cliffs in which the climbing is nearly impossible...

...a gigantic reptilian spike-backed beasts with a huge reptilian heads and a long reptilian snouts and mouths full of the sharp turks. The dragon-like beasts, but wingless and unable to breath fire, The slow beasts, but quick in attack, thick-skinned and thus hard to kill and deadly with their long, spiked and devastating tails. In the next to their cages, the orcs were building the huge wooden war towers covered with pieces of these reptilian creatures thick skin, which were supposed to attach to the backs of these reptilian creatures, to arm with the mountain crossbows and fill with the small crew of orcs...

...and the several packs of the huge sabertooth feline-like predators, with the massive and muscular size, brown fur, furry and tight mane on their necks. They had the long front limbs with the massive paws killing claws and they had a huge mouths with the long and curved saber teeth. Like a bit smaller wargs, these monstrous saber-toothed cats were fast, powerful a very aggressive pack-hunters and one of the deadliest predators hunting down and killing everything in sight of them.

The orcs of Angmar call these creatures with their black speech _Pal Dhamab_ "Scimitar Teeth" and just like with the wargs, the orcs hopes to have from these creatures the fine mounts and companions for the upcoming raids and as the cavalry in their armies for upcoming war against the free peoples of the north. However, these fierce carnivorous beasts were difficult to domesticate and are also remarkably stubborn to be tamed, plus killing and eating many orc trainers while resistanting to training. Only the most skilled orcs, sometimes even black númenoreans, who had learned their habits and showed the respect for these aggressive predators, were able to come closer and tame these aggressive carnivores, eventually earning their trust, acceptance and their loyalty for their riders. This formed a bond between the saber-toothed beasts and their orcs riders, who were then allowed by the beasts to mount them. The rest of the orcs, who were barely capable of doing the same but had a high lack of respect for these fierce carnivorous monsters, formed anyway but the unholy bond with these beasts. Their own treatment and respect for their own fierce mounts was disrespectful and more than often these orcs paid the high price for the disrespect by losing their limbs or getting brutally mauled or even killed by their own mounts.

The orcs had also discovered the several small valley-like chasms from the mountains, where as standing a small and sharp-pointed rocky hillocks, which were covered by the sticky spider web and with the skeletal bodies of the victims of spiders wrapped into the the spider web and under of which, as well as in the chasm's walls, was the dark entrances to the labyrinthine caves and tunnels, where from the downfall of Angmar the giant spiders in the hideous forms lived in hide. From there, the orcs had either captured the dozens adult individuals or stolen from there numerous the spider eggs for their own dark purposes.

The air space of the Valley from the Valley's mountain borders and the mouth of the Valley were also guarded by the flying evil creatures, incase of the nearby living Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains, among of which happened to be many of those ones, who're capable even on their own to bring down even two-three Fell-Beasts from the sky before their own death, crab from the air dozens of giant bats, beat the mountain trolls and even the giants, let the giant be either living flesh or then hewn from stone like the stone giants. And in the huge flocks the Great Eagles are together able to cut down the large part of any orc army without suffering any losses, thus sending the orc armies into chaos and easily breaking their battle spirits. That's why the air bellow the clouds and above of the valley was full of by the huge flocks of the regular vampire bats and the gigantic bats of the Mount Gundabad and even some Fell-Beasts...

...In the air was also flying the Middle Earth's the most smallest type of the winged Fire-Drakes. They were a bit smaller than the Fell-beasts but they were more scaly and spiky and yet they had slightly shorter necks and tails than Fell-Beasts. They had also a lot of spiky protrusions on lower jaw, upper and underbodies, and on tip of tails. They had also long-nosed heads without the vivid horns like the most of the fire-dragons usually have.

They were mounted by the orcs, who had found the hundreds of the fire-drake eggs from the mountain cliffs after they had destroyed the feral adult ones and after they were trained to fly with these dragons when they were big and strong enough to carry the orcs in the saddles attached to their neck. However, the relationship between of the fire-drakes and their orc riders was quite similiar like the unholy alliance between the orcs and wargs. The fire-drakes were extremely aggressive towards of their own care takers, trainers and their sometimes disrespectful riders... even towards of each others... and taking care of them had cost to the orcs many orc workers and even their own riders to be either burned or eaten.

The only one way to barely calm down these fierce carnivores was to keep them well fed, and that's why their care takers brough them some dead human slaves, orc workers, some dead trolls and the Great Beasts* and, unfortunately, with the workers who're bringing them for them. Once satisfied and thus respected, which is very rare from the orcs for their allies, the drakes are not nearly as aggressive as they are in hunger and being disrespected.

* * *

Once the bat was flying over the hills and the mountains of Ettenmoors, it immediately changed its course to the eastern end of the hills, where the mountains of Ettenmoors are annexed with the Misty Mountains.

However, it got immediately company with it.

From the darkness of the dark clouds appeared small flock regular eagle-sized Gundabad bats...

...which began to swarm around of the smaller bat like the bodyguards.

But even though the bats started to act like the bodyguards for the smaller bat, they fiercely blocked its path and every attempt to head towards the east and instead, even nearly forcefully, directed it to change its course to the nothern mountain area, where all three lines of the mountains, the Misty Mountains, Mountain of Angmar and the Gray Mountains collide and link with each other

The bat was too reluctant and too stubborn to follow the bats lead, but these Gundabad bats were even more stubborn than the regular bat itself.

The small flock of the giant bats surrounded the bat from every side, blocking the bat's every escape attempt, and forcing their smaller cousin to do what it was told by them.

The gigantic bats securited the rest of the regular bat's trip, which they flied together passing the hills of the Ettenmoors and continuing their fly through of the black and suffocating smoke filled sky of the Valley of Angmar.

It did not take long before the bats began to plunge toward the ground with the free falling speed, until they finally spread their wings to slow doan and float in the air when they arrived to the air space of the gigantic and snowy mountain pass-like valley and which was surrounded by sharp angled cliffs from all sides of the valley and to there and out of where led three mountain passes surrounded by the high and upright rock walls. One of them led to the another side of the Mountains of Angmar, second one led to the Valley of Angmar and the third one led to the other side of the Misty Mountains, and from the third pass branched off the another mountain pass, which led though of the Gray Mountains and ended up to the north side of an open wilderness in the middle of which a Lonely Mountain was standing as mighty.

This valley was a dreaded, notorious and one of the most darkest and most dangerous places on the Middle-Earth, because it happened to be the location of itself...

THE MOUNT GUNDABAD!

The gigantic mountain fortress, half-mountain, half-fortress, which served as a chief mountain-stronghold and the capital of all the orcs, goblins and other evil creatures of all three northern mountains and the hills of the Ettenmoors. It stood in the middle of the valley, mightier and higher than any other mountain of this all the other mountains of this evil mountain region.

The mountain itself was surrounded by the huge, smooth-faced and wide ring-wall, which ran around of the foot of the entire mountain and it had the ring-line of the gigantic and round defense towers, which were higher than the wall itself and which ran along the wall ring-wall around of the entire mountain. The ring-wall was linked to the defense walls with the huge towering stony stair-bridges. The ring-wall had also the huge gate wall with the three massive gate-doors, leading deep inside inside of the mountain's center. All of this was hewn the centuries ago from a living black rock of the mountainside by the mountain's previous or the current residents.

On the mountainside from the feet of the mountain to the mountain peak was full of the dozens and dozens snowy and the different-levelled and -sized cliff edges with from the living stone hewn doorways to inside of the mountain, mountain paths and towering spur of rocks (similiar to Minas Tirith's towering spur of rock) bursting out of the mountainside or above of the deep snowy chasms. Most of these were linked with each others with the stone bridges shaped by nature.

There was also dozens of sister mountains with the high cliffs with the passable mountain paths and cliffs and with the large caves all around of the Mount Gundabad, to where the orcs had settled some of their small outposts while spreading all around of this mountain area or then their caves served as the homes for the snow trolls of Gundabad.

In front and all around of the entire mountain was standing the massive wooden fortress-like town of the orcs, full of the orc tents and the wooden shacks where the orcs lived and there was standing a dozens and dozens a tall and shack-like guard towers. The town filled the most of the deserted Valley around of the Mount Gundabad and it was populated by the massive army of orcs and goblins of the mountains, uruks of Angmar, barbaric men of Angmar, black númenoreans, both soldiers and sorcerers, hill-men of Rhudaur, wargs, olog-gai trolls, mountain trolls, snow trolls, Misty Mountain trolls, cave-trolls, ogres, mountain giants, gigantic bats, giant spiders, Fell-Beasts, both winged and wingless fire-drakes and many other servants of darkness and hideous creatures from all three mountains.

In the town's sides was built the large area full of the hundreds of Gundabad's mines, furnaces, orc forges, armories and siege works, where either the orc workers or the slaves mined the metal, melt the metal and forged from the the weapons, shields, armors and the war machines, Gundabad's orc pits, where they bred more and more fresh orcs for their armies, Gundabad's monster-cave called caves, where they bred their giant war-beasts, warg tents, where they kept and fed their wargs, the training areas and the slaughter houses,

In the town's side, near of the foot of both the valley's mountainsides was also dozens of the large holes leading to the underground tunnels and caves where the most of to around of Gundabad assembled army of evil had settled to live and wait for the orders.

There was also standing the massive, gigantic and a hideous-looking black fortress-tower with the towering sharp jagged peaks and several hideous-looking watch-towers in the mountain peak of Mount Gundabad, which was hewn from a living mountain hang and built to resemble a hideous-looking crown on the Mountain peak, and even in the snowy air and snowfall, the tower glowed a dim red glow due to the firelight coming from inside of the fortress-tower.

The bats flied towards one of the orc outposts locating to one of Gundabad's cliff edges on the mountain side, where the several orcs were on the break from the watch.

The small group of orcs were greedily chewing the man flesh out of the human bones of the killed human slaves while watching down to the valley and the orcs shack-town, looking at the progress of every day growing army.

Then the orcs spotted the giant Gundabad bats approaching them from the sky and accompanying the smaller bat with them.

As the bats landed to the edge of the cliff, the group's huge, muscular and topless head orc – who weared the collar made out of thick fur and the helmet with the skull-like face-covering face-shield and the metallic horn ornaments (the horns were similiar to Balrog's horns,) the loincloth made out the scalps of the dwarven heads and the orc was carrying the large double-edged ax – tossed his bone with the half of unfinished man flesh to the bats, who greedily swarmed around of the bone and its piece of man flesh like the flock of vultures, while the head orc streched his handu p and allowed the smaller vampire bat to land on it.

Snarling, the orc placed the bat next to his right ear and started to carefully listen as the bat squeaked the message from the spy in the town of Bree to the orc's ear.

It took a while when the bat had informed everything to the orc boss, and after the bat had done, the orc grabbed the bat under of its large and muscular fingers and called with the black speech its mount waiting inside of the cave.

The large saber-toothed beast emerged growling from inside of the cave in front of its master.

The beast greeted it's master with the slight snarlibg and lowering its head like bowing to its master and the orc answered to the beast's greets by rubbing the beast's back while walking the next to it as a sign that it was time to ride again. After noticing this, the beasts lowered itself a little bit down so that the orc was able to climb up on it's back.

And after the orc was sitting on its back, the orc turned the beast around and urged his mount to catch the speed and the beasts rushed inside of the mountain, while the rest of the orcs remained to the cliff.

The orc rode in the back of its saber-toothed mount through of the tunnels until they arrived to the central cave of the Mount Gundabad.

The mountain itself was a hollow, because there was the gigantic cave in middle of the labyrinthine corridors and caves all over the mountain, and it served as the central of the Mount Gundabad. The cave's ceiling was supported with the massive and gigantic mountain-sized stone pillars, the dwarf made pillars, where the dwarves of Gundabad had a long time ago built their homes, warehouses and their smiths workshops and the beneath of the pillars were the rest of their city and the mines. The pillars were liked to each others and to the side walls of the cave with the numerous of to every direction leading stone bridges.

But when Gundabad was under of the siege by the evil forces when the mountain fell the first time into the hands of the evil servants and wwas sieged once again during the great War between of Dwarves and Orcs, the dwarven city beneath of the pillars feets had been nearly completely destroyed, the several of these pillars had slightly damaged and most of the bridges had been destroyed during of the underground battles between the dwarves and orcs. Once the mountain was under of the forces of evil, the orcs had populated the mountain with their large numbers and built their own wooden shack city among of the ruins of the dwarven city in the feets of the massive pillars, to which they had built their own wooden porches and suspension bridges between of the pillars as an replacement for the destroyed bridges.

The orcs had also turned the pillars to a gigantic standing forges, judging from the gigantic dwarven made machinery in the forms of the gigantic chains and gears in the wall of the forge pillars, where the thousands and thousands of orc smiths were spending all of their time by lifting up with the dwarven made cranes and melting in the dwarven made melting pots a tons and tons of mined metal from the mines below of the cave, from which they forged tons and tons of the weapons, shields and armors to equip the massive hordes of the servants of evil and their war monsters who were every day gathering to the Valley of Angmar and around of Gundabad.

The orc rode through of the stone bridges, towering tunnels and the stairs heading to the fortress-tower on the peak of the Mountain, where the current king of Gundabad after the last king, Bolg, Son of Azog the Defiler, died in the battle of the Five Armies, dwelled and ruled his kingdom.

It did not took too long, before the orc finally reached to Gundabad's mountain peak's fortress-tower's huge throne room, which looked like the inside of the hollow tower and more like the dark and filthy prison.

The throne room was hideously built by the orcs with the rusty metal-faced walls, ceiling and floor full of the spikes and torches, from the ceiling hanging body cages and the corners full of the skulls and either chained or ripped skeletons. In the foot of the throne room's walls was the culvert holes with the stone bars, behind of which was greedily through of the bars to the room's residents and visitors reaching limbed were-worms.

And there was from the metal hideously forged throne, which resembled the peak's fortress-tower itself. It was covered with the fur of the wargs and caparisoned with the skulls and skeletons. The throne was surrounded by the dwarven treasures, gold and jewels, stolen from Gundabad's treasury andf behind of the throne was standing two large statues of the mountain trolls with the massive spiked clubs. They were at some point unfortunally turned into the stone by the sunlight and brought to the Gundabad's throne room as the stone guardians.

There was also the wide doorway to the balcony behind of the throne, which opened the wide view to the valley and farther away. The mountain was large enough that from the balcony was able to see the peak of the Lonely Mountain and the green meadow lands of Eriador behind of the Valley of Angmar and the hills and mountains of Ettenmoors.

In the throne, was sitting the aged, large, light-gray-skinned and muscular orc, who had the monstrous blood-red Gundabad orc tattoon on his topless chest and the upper side of his faces was painted blood-red and indirect line. The orc was wearing the monstrous-looking headdress, made of the metal and the parts of the large skull with the large curved horns and the large mane, which was made of hundreds of into the headdress and into each others attached of black-headed and small, medium and large blood-red feathers (similiar to native american chieftain's headdress). The orc also had the large cape with the collar, which was made from the skinned human and dwarven scalps, which were placed in front of his collar that the dwarven scalps beards were hanging in front of him. The orc had also from the thick and furry brown warg fur made loincloth and the born fur boots with the metallic shin guards. The orc was also holding the huge staff, in which tip was hanging the horned skull and a large piece of black fabric into which is pictured the blood-red symbol of the orcs of Gundabad, Mount Gundabad with the flaming blood-red eye above of it.

The orc was companied by the couple-four other orcs.

In the left side of him was standing the cruel-looking and obese orc, who's the right side of his body and his faces were hideously deformed. The orc's right arm was also deformed to muscular, long and three-fingered and which resembled more the trolls right arm than the orcs regular arm. Despite these deformations, the orc was wearing the heavy chest armor in front of his body and only one spiked shoulder guard on his left shoulder, of which in a tip of each metal spike was hanging the bare human skulls. The orc also wielded the large hammer in his deformed arm.

Next to this half-deformed orc was standing the another orc, who was completely dressed into the heady orc armor. He had the shoulder guards with the metallic spikes and to the sharp tip of each spike the orc has hung the human skulls. The orc was also holding in his arm his metallic helmet, in which was four curved horns and the long central spike, to each sharp tip of which the orc had also hung the skulls to hang. But despite having the helmet with him, he did not use it. Instead, he had the large curved pieces of metal attached to his head's flesh. One of which, which run half of his head and covered his left eye in the process, had the metallic arch ornament. The orc was wielding the large metallic shield and the orc halberd.

In the orc's right side of him was standing hunchbacked, bowlegged and into the black hooded robe dressed sorcerer-like orc, who had the large collar made of the bearded dwarven scalps and he was wearing the necklace in which was hanging the skulls. This orc had painted his faces to white and he had the small blood-red tattoons of orc symbols all around of his upper body. The orc was bald but he had the brown hair tied behind of his head into large ponytail. The armor this orc was wearing was made from the thoraxes, to which had attached the long and curved bone spikes in the curved line behind of the orc's neck – and on the tip of the bone spikes was hanged the human skulls to hang as well. This orc was also carrying in his left arm the metallic helmet, in top of which had the torch-like ornament. The orc was wielding the tall wooden staff, at the end of it was hung more the skulls to hang inside of which was floating the flaming dark clouds due to the some kind of dark magic.

The last one orc in the next to the sorcerer-like orc was the smallest one of them, nearly as big or slightly bigger than the goblin or dwarf and he was more slender than the others. This orc carried little protection, except for the shoulder guard with the line of curved spikes, and walked topless. The orc had also wrapped the fabric bag around of its head, in which had three holes... two from the orc's eyes and one for his inhumanly-wide mouth. As the weapon, this orc carried the large crossbow and the leather quiver where this orc held the long crossbow bolts.

The orc quickly dismounted from his saber-toothed mount and rushed in front of this great orc... and kneeled deeply down to show him respect.

" _Thakrak the Flamemane, the king of Gundabad._ " The orc said in the orcs black speech.

" _Dûsh the Olog-arm, the bodyguard chieftain of the king and Kâka the Metalhead, the warchief of Gundabad._ " The orc said as he turned his head on the Thakrak-called orc king's left side standing orcs.

" _Grûblik the Shaman, the sorcerer of Gundabad and Târz the Assassin, leader of the Dire-bird cavalry_." The orc said as he turned his head on the Thakrak's right side standing orcs.

" _Mogozh the Skull-face kneels before you and Mogozh bring the message from the spy of mistress Nazihra from that filthy human town of Bree. Very urgent_." The orc, calling himself Mogozh, reported in the orcs black speech.

Mogozh then streched his arm and released the bat from his grip, which flied towards orc king Thakrak and landed in next to the orc king's ear and began with the bat-like squeaking to whisper the same information which it had already whispered into Mogozh's ear.

But before the bat managed to inform everything into Thakrak's ear, the look of the pure rage appeared on Thakrak's face that he grabbed the bat into his hand, wrapped his fingers around of it and squeezed the bat to death after hearing its information.

The orc king eventually lost his control over of his finger and squeezed the bat to death, before he threw its crushed body away and stood up from his throne.

" _Everything that filthy spy has to believe! The group of two humans, one she-elf, filthy dwarf and two Shire rats formed together by the gray wizard as... the Guardians of the Middle-Earth... to stand in our way, preventing us to conquer the north?! Does he or that accursed wizard honestly thinks that one fly-sized filthy group of filthy flies can do anything against my armies... or against a such of troops standing in the Valley of Angmar?!_ " Thakrak angrily roared, not believing a word the bat he killed a moment ago had informed to him.

" _They at least knows our plans of conquering the north, my lord,_ " Mogozh said.

" _So what, Skull-face?! They're flies. Just a filthy flies! And we have an army matching them with hundred thousand times. It needs only one giant to kill them all or the flock of dire-birds, or the pack of wargs, or the biggest wingless fire-drake, or big were-worm, or the well settled band of couple hundred of orc hunters for the ambush to eliminate them with the one rock._ " Thakrak stated with the pleasure.

" _Eh, I'm not arguing against that, my lord, but the spy's own little spy got more information, that this small group of flies are heading towards the lower hills of the Mountains, where they're going to have the ride in the backs of those gigantic birds over the mountains. They're heading towards that small forest near of Moria's East-Gate, aware of the invasion of the Ettenmoors' goblin king Gorboglin's forces are about to execute upon that forest now and kidnap the one targeted she-elf from there now when that she-elf-witch is gone and that filthy forest is half-defenseless. Even though one of the mistress Nazihra's powerful warlock is with them, one of these "flies," the one of the northern rangers, he possesses the filthy elven magic as well, which he used in that filthy village to create the power shield to prevent their the main topic of discussion from falling into our spy's ears. I don't know how powerful their filthy warlock is against Nazihra's, but at least I suspect that that they may either slow down the goblins invasion along with the filthy elves of that forest or completely manage to push them back, and the mission to prevent the filthy elves of their elf's filthy hideout from standing against us will fail,_ " Mogozh explained.

Thakrak angrily grabbed from the side of the nearby orc-made wooden table full of the dirty wooden plates and the bare bones from the orc king's lastest meals and threw it roughly aside.

" _WHY WE SHOULD EVEN CARE ABOUT IT?! The message that bat was carrying was intended for that fat goblin filth, not for us. Why then Nazihra's spy's bat brought the information to us even though it wasn't for us but for that goblin filth and_ Nazihra?"

Then Trâz opened his filthy orc mouth to speak.

 _"Maybe because of your own bats, my lord._ _Allow me to remind you that your bats were by mistress Nazihra's orders trained to capture every flying creature, which are assumed to carry the urgent messages, to learn about the enemy's moving._ _"_ Trâz reminded his king with the humble tone.

" _SilENCE, MAGGOT, OR I'LL CUT YOUR TONGUE OFF!_ " Thakrak ordered angrily and harshly.

With the humble bow, Trâz backed off.

Thakrak turned then back to Mogozh.

 _"Nazihra told me only to gather an army in here while her other servant are gathering the another army in the Valley of Angmar. Besides, goblin king of the Ettenmoors was the one who Nazihra put into executing the goblin invasion against of that digusting forest, not me. So why we should care if this message carried by the bat wasn't even for us?!_ " Thakrak growled.

Thakrak was, in fact, unknowingly right all the time, as the message sent by the spy was actually intended to the goblin king of Ettenmoors, Gorboglin, who was placed responsible for the success of the invasion against the Golden Forest of Lothlorien.

The orc sorcerer, called Grûblik by name, then opened his mouth to speak.

" _My lord, were also involved in the mistress Nazihra's plan to conquer the north. Gorboglin's invasion's main goal is to capture the elven-princess of the secret elven hide-out and use her as a hostage to prevent the elves from interfering the mistress plans. You know how well-trained the elven scums actually are, that even the pack of wargs and warg riders or small army of orc raiders has no match for several or couple dozens of elves... mostly then, when our troops are ambushed by the filthy elves. Besides, in their secret hide-out might have a couple hundred able to fight, I believe so, but in the filthy elven city at the beach of the ocean can contain a huge number of the elves in the form of the army. Even in the armies of several thousands of elves, their interference can cost us the heavy casualties... even though we possess the armies of the much larger numbers and the massive war beasts in our ranks. But by kidnapping the she-elven-princess of the secret elven hideout, we might be able to prevent them from assembling the army of the elves to defend those filthy lands and stop the advancement of our armies._ " Grûblik explained.

" _But I assume that you also know that the mistress is the high ranked servant of the highest servant of the Dark Lord himself and she's granted with the full power over all of forces of the Dark Lord in the name by the Dark Lord himself. And right now, she has her orders from the servant of the Dark Lord himself; Conquer the north at all costs. And you and your mighty armies are part of that. I assume that you seemingly want to know that what will happen... TO YOU... if the mistress gets to know that you've got the message meant for her and failed to warn the mistress about her plans to conquer the North and kept the elves from interfering their conquest is threatened by the small group of flies, who might be narrowly able to ruin her plans. I assume that you know what happened your_ _predecessor, King Bolg, the son of king Azog the Defiler, after he in the blind anger towards the filthy Line of Durin after his father's death in the hands of the filthy Ironfoot dwarf, underestimated the small band of thirteen dwarf scum on their suicide quest to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug, which cost his own life in the claws of the giant beast in the battle on the Lonely Mountain and the massive loss of the battle._ _You better no to make the same mistake, or else, no matter about your tittle as the king of Gundabad, there is always another high ranked warchief to replace you as the king of Gundabad after the mistress has harshly punished you with death for disobeying her will and orders, FOR NOT WARNING HER ABOUT THIS A MINIMAL BUT STILL A BIG THREAT FOR MISTRESS PLANS!_ "

Thakrak turned with the frustrated expression on his face to Grûblik, but he didn't said anything.

Though he was the king of Gundabad, the least he wanted is to highly displease and even anger the servant of the highest servant of the Dark Lord.

Besides...

As a powerful orc warlock, Grûblik happened to belong to as the member of the Organization of Thirteen servants of Nazihra, formed by Nazihra in the name of the Dark Lord himself, and through of him and the other members of Organization of Thirteen, the Mount Gundabad as its armies, as well as the armies standing in the Valley of Angmar, were completely under her command in the name of the Dark Lord.

Grûblik served as Thakrak's loyal but non-humble adviser by Nazihra's command to monitor the progress of the preparations of the armies and the conquest of the North, but he reluctantly took orders from him unlike than he took them from Nazihra faithfully and without the question.

Thakrak considered all the possible alternatives, with which he could please the mistress and avoid to get replaced by the other high-ranked warchief of his armies and even to get punished with death by Nazihra herself.

" _So, what you think what I'm supposed to do then? Should I then send the band of elite orcs to hunt then down and destroy them?_ _Târz is one of my most trusted warchiefs, assassins and the finest Dire-Bird rider and the trusted leader of the flock of Dire-Bird riders. Târz as their leader, they're able to track them down and finish them offf before they even reach to their meeting place with those birds of the mountains._ " Thakrak suggested.

However, Grûblik shook his head.

 _"I suggest you to stay in your position and kept the preparations of your armies... and let Gorboglin to handle this, through of the mistress of course by reporting her spy's urgent message. Send the word about this threat with one of your the winged Fire-Drake riders to the **Goi Zaukul*** the mistress headquater in middle of the Mountains of Mirkwood. That's all what you can do."_ Grûblik suggested.

The orc king returned to his own thoughts, considering deeply and carefully about the advice and suggestions Grûblik had just suggested to him to act. Of course Thakrak wanted to please Nazihra, and through of her her master and his master, by eliminating all by himself the any threat, minimal or great threat, of his mistress plans to conquer the north in the name of the Dark Lord and prevent the elves of Eriador from interfering to their plans.

However, even though he did not like to admit it, Grûblik's proposal of Nazihra's supposed will and order were to all of the servants of darkness the will and the order of the Dark Lord himself. And not wanting to displease the Dark Lord himself through of Grûblik, and through of him through of Nazihra, and through of her through of her own master and the highest servant of the Dark Lord with his own disobedience and with his own will to handle the problems by his own way, he eventually gave up and turned back to Mogozh.

" _Mogozh! Get to the Tûgog the Fire-Drake Tamer and send him immediately to head to the back of the winged Fire-Drake to **Goi Zaukul** in the middle of the Mountains of Mirkwood to deliver the spy's urgent message to mistress Nazihra about these wretched flies called by name, The Guardians of the Middle Earth, who have learned our plans and are labelled to be the big threat for our mistress plans to conquer the north, starting from foolish attempt to stop the goblin king Gorboglin's invasion forces from conquering that filthy elven forest and kidnap from there she-elf-princess of the Eriador's secret elven hideout to prevent the elves from interfering the Conquest of Eriador._ " Thakrak ordered.

The Skull-Face bowed down to his king, before he mounted to his saber-toothed mount again and rode out of the throne room to find the orc called Tûgog the Fire-Drake Tamer to send him to _**Goi Zaukul**_ with the mistress spy's very urgent message.

* * *

 **I hope that all of you who read this story enjoyed this chapter...**

 **The Great Beasts* I meant the rhino-like beasts which were pulling Grond the Battering Ram in the Return of the King film.**

 ** _Goi Zaukul*_ (Also _Goi Zilug_ ) is the Black Speech and means "City of Black Tower(s)"**

 **The following creatures I mentioned in this chapter...**  
 **\- Dire-birds**  
 **\- Were-worms with the limbs**  
 **\- Mountain apes**  
 **\- Giant reptilian crocodile-like beasts**  
 **\- Sabertoothed beasts**  
 **...were inspired by The Hobbit - the Battle of the Five Armies film's original concept arts of the "war Beast" of Azog's armies, which were planned to be in the film but never made it to the final cut.**


	4. Chap4: Goi Zaukul

GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH  
CHAPTER 4: _**Goi Zaukul**_

* * *

The winged Fire-Drake emerged ouf of the many holes in the mountainside, where it speard its wings and took of to the air, starting it's a long trip from Mount Gundabad to the east towards _**Goi Zaukul, the City of the Dark Towers**_ and Nazihra's headquater in middle of the Mountains of Mirkwood.

In the Fire-Drake's back was sitting Tûgog the Fire-Drake Tamer, the grayish-skinned but from the fire, drake-fire, burned faces orc, and whose armor was a bit similiar to the warg riders armors made out of the bones and fur, with the exception that Tûgog's chest armor was made out of the perfect-sized drake's ribs with hard scales attached to it, making the armor impermeable. And the orc also wore the wrist guards and shin guards, which were made out of the same material.

The orc also wore the belts, in which he carried the sealed wooden mugs with the dark magic contained Fire-Drake's explosive flames, which Tûgog with the pleasure used often against his enemies... probably as the gift from Nazihra through of Grûblik.

He also carried in his back two large-bladed hand-axes, which blades were viciously forged to resemble the hideous-looking fire-drake's heads with their fanged mouths open, and which Tûgog liked to set into the fire and used the flaming ax-blades against his enemies.

And when he did, Tûgog happened to be the good, maybe even overly and quite sadistic, sense of humor, having the laughing problems when he sees his enemies getting burned to death either by his "flame bombs" or by the fire-drake's fire.

Without caring about the thick snowstorm raging above of the are of Mount Gundabad, both Tûgog and the Fire-Drake flied through the air and the thick snowfall with the speed, which exceeded twice the high speed of the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains themselves.

And speaking of the Great Eagles...

Tûgog headed at first to the direction of the south, following the Misty Mountains line for the several hours, until he was abput to pass the Anduin's from the mountains flowing side-river, Rhimdath, where he finally turned his fire-drake's direction to the east.

If he had gone in the back of the fire-drake any further to the south, he could have arrived to the air space of the nests of the Great Eagles and the kingdom of the Gwaihir, the Lord of the Eagles.

Tûgog was delivering now an urgent message from king Thakrak for Nazihra and getting into the air conflict with one or the big flock of the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains was out of the question.

Because even though he was flying with the fire-drake, which species if a bit bigger than what the eagles were and more deadlier with their hard and impermeable scaly skin and their ability to breath the fire, with which the fire-drakes could with ease to burn to death many Great Eagles, in the huge flocks the great eagles would be able to bring down even the Fire-Drake if they worked together.

So Tûgog had to stay far away from the air territory of the Great Eagles to avoid the conflicts with them, so that an urgent message will arrive safely to _**Goi Zaukul**_ and Nazhira.

Tûgog flied over the wilderness to the direction of the East after the Misty Mountains were left far behind.

It did not took long from him, before he arrived to the upper air space of the Mirkwood and headed towards the mountains of Mirkwood towering towards the sky in the horizon.

And as he approached more and more closer of those mountains, the forest around of the forest and on the mountains feet started to look identically similiar like the forest around of the ancient fortress of _**Dol Guldur, the Hill of Dark Sorcery**_ far in the south, which has been abandoned now for two years since the narrow victory of the free peoples of Middle-Earth in the Battle of the Five Armies front of the gates of dwarven kingdom of Erebor and the ruined city of Dale and was now mostly populated only by the Mirkwood's spiders and thousands of rotting skeletons in the hanging cages or in the dark caverns, pits and in the dark dungeons of the fortress.

The forest around of the Mountains of Mirkwood was...

Sickly, rotting, dark, dead, hideous and the air filled with the filth rotting scent and the scent of the dark witchcraft...

...Beneath of the dozens and dozens largest trees of this part of Mirkwood was the filthy labyrithic caverns, where the nasty and hideous giant spiders of Mirkwood dwelled and where they layed their eggs and hanged their into their webs wrapped victims – animals, humans and even their own orc allies to hung to their inhabited trees branches...

...some of these caves beneath of the largest trees served as in Mirkwood living wild and vicious wargs nests, where they inhabited and attacked without the hesitation to everyone trespassing on their territory...

...in the forest, as well as also in the feet of the mountains, was also the huge piles of the piled boulders of rocks and the dead tree trunks, under of which was the entrances to the underground caves, which were inhabited by the trolls and filled wit hthe dwarven and elven and men treasures they have stolen from the free peoples of the north...

...and there was everywhere in the forest the small and the large fortified camps of the orcs of Dol Guldur and uruks of the mountains of Mirkwood, settled around of the orc sorcerers witchcraft circles, where the orc sorcerers performing their dark witchcraft.

It did not took long from Tûgog to arrive at the mountains...

...and he flew through of the mountain peaks...

...entering to the air space of the secret valley in middle of the Mountains of Mirkwood.

And in the middle of the the dead and rotten forest of the valley was standing itself...

 _ **Goi Zaukul, the City of the Dark Towers**_

The situation of both the air space and the forest of this valley and around of this fortress was in the far more worse situation than in outside of the Mountains of Mirkwood.

The forest was more stunted under of the poisoning dark magic that it was unable to any living thing or green and fresh plant nor leave to live.

The air space of the valley was filled by the unnatural dark cloud-like fog, which greatly hindered visibility and caused the strangers to get lost too easily... and the roads were the most deceitful and most dangerous in the dark.

And the cloud flowed much thicker along the ground, covering the ground, and making walking more difficult, as it flowed from the _**Goi Zaukul**_ by the work of the dark witchcraft.

In the valley had also the place, where all others higher and densely branched trees had grown very close of each other, making the trees to greatly resemble by its appearance the elven city of Caras Galadhon in Lothlorien, but more likely the opposite of its beauty. The trees were leafless and stunted and their thick and almost hollow trunks were grayish. Within of the tree's branches, was the massive web nest of the giant spiders reaching from the feet of the trees to their tops. It served as the home for the giant spiders dwelling in this hideous Valley and it was called with the Black Speech, _**Moraumang Goi**_ , meaning the City of Spiders.

In the valley was also the lake, which the orcs avoided like the plague, because there was something in the depths of the lake. Something ancient, something deceitful, something even more dangerous than the orcs.

And then there was the city of _**Goi Zaukul**_ , which resembled by its appearance strongly the the mixture of the City of Dale and the fortress of Dol Guldur with the architecture of Mordor, but the black fortress-like city was much more bigger than the City of Dale and more higher and higher than the ruined towers of **Dol Guldur**.

The city was mostly made out of the hundreds, even thousands, of the tall and hideous-looking black towers and the tower-building-mixture-like pillars towering towards the sky of the valley, and which were linked with each others with the dozens and dozens of different levelled narrow bridges, stairs, spike-fenced walls and hundreds or large and small, wide and narrow and different levelled open edges in between of the towers, pillars and walls. There was also numerous as moats serving wide or narrow, deep and dark chasms and filthy pits, in the bottom of which was either the stunted and dead trees or something more hideous and unspeakable, in between of the walls and the towers. And beneath of the sea of black towers was the large network of dark caves and caverns-like halls, numerous torture chambers, dark dungeons, narrow bridges, dark and labyrinthine alleys, streets and underground stairs, bridges, tunnels and corridors all around of the fortress.

The fortress was also full of the thousands of furnaces, Lumber Mills, arsenals, siege works feeding their fires with Mirkwood's trees to melt their minerals mined under of their fortress by their slaves to forge the weapons, armors and war machines.

The fortress was filled with the unnatural mist, in which was sometimes able to see the hideous ghost-like figures floating among the mist in the air.

In the fortress had also the large castle courtyard near to where and out of there was leading hundreds of the dark tunnels and stairs to deeper within the fortress. The courtyard, however, had the shelter-like network of the stone bridges and the stairs over of the courtyard, linking the towers around of the courtyard's borders together.

The city had also the tovering citadel-like hill formed from the dark towers, pillars and spike-edgen walls and to where was leading dozens of stairs and bridges from the dozens of the neighboring towers.

Around of the citadel-hill was towering the ring-line of thirteen the most highest towers of this city, which were linked at each others with the wide and spike-edged stone bridges, under of which was hanging the hideously forged metallic body cages, which were filled with into the cage locked dead or dying prisoners, who were left at the mercy of the wretched weather and greed vultures, from three different levels of the towers.

All towers were also linked with the wide bridge-like stairs to the in the middle of the citadel-hill to the sky towering and from all the highest towers of this hideous city the most highest citadel-tower, which stretched almost in the level of the black clouds circling unnaturally above of the valley.

The towers, or at least their peaks, served as the home, headquarter and cidatel of Nazihra and the organization of her thirteen servants, while the rest lower levels of their towers were full of the dark dungeons and the torture chambers.

At least Nazihra's own tower's peak floor had two-three floors, to which belonged her housing, library, laboratory and even the meeting hall wit hthe edge-like balcony for a visit by the visitors, and in the top of the tower had her spike-fenced open chamber for performing the dark witchcraft.

Nazihra's tower was also from all the towers the only one with a doubled outer wall circling around of the tower's peak, and it had also a few side towers, which were thick enough for the large troll to fit to stand on it

* * *

Tûgog headed towards the citadel tower's peak's balcony, which was the only way to get to meet Nazihra in the person.

Tûgog made his fire-drake to land on the edge of the balcony, which wasn't difficult, because the balcony was scheduled as the landing place for even the largest of the Fell Beasts and the winged fire-drakes weren't exception.

But once Tûgog had landed to the balcony and dismounted from the back of the fire-drake and was about to enter to the tower...

...his way was blocked by two huge, muscular and black-bearded olog-hai trolls, who were dressed into the dragons' scaly skin resembling heavy and sharp and even spiky chest armors, shoulder guards, wrist guards to which had attached the broad shields. The trolls used also the horned helmets, which face shields were forged to resemble skulls faces.

These trolls used the long spear-like weapons, which were the admixture of the orc-made halberd with the ax-like blade with the towering and wide scimitar-like tip and war hammer.

In addition of halberd-like weapon, one of the trolls also had two vicious-looking large spiked maces forged in the fortress arsenals, which they carried in X-position in their backs, while another one had the heavy long swords instead of spiked maces.

" _None shall pass to the tower! Not when our mistress is busy with her work!_ " One of the toll guardians said in the black speech threateningly to Tûgog, as he pointed with his speat at the Fire-Drake Tamer.

"You heard him, so _get lost, worm! We do not need here the filthy lowered maggots like you_ " Another one said and struck with his halberd's hammer to the ground next to Tûgog.

This got Tûgog's fire-drake to aggressively snarl at the trolls and nearly breathed the fire at them for threatening its master, until Tûgog referred it to calm down so that he could be able to handle things by talking.

" _Listen to me, you two fat so! I'm here in the business of Thakrak, the warlord king of Mount Gundabad. I bring for her mistress the urgent message from him, which failed to reach into the hands of Gorboglin, the goblin king of Mount Gram and lord of the Ettenmoors, from her mistress spy in the human town in the other side of the Misty Mountains. Her mistress' plans to conquer the north has been threatened by the small but still the great threat and her mistress needs to know about it, so let me pass, immediately!_ "

However... the trolls were not impressed of Tûgog's explained reason to be in here.

" _Not our mistress concern... especially when she's at working with her task from the Dark Lord._ " One of the trolls said sternly.

" _Yeah! Your land, your problems, not ours._ " Another troll said rudely.

" _But the message is very urgent and..._ " Tûgog tried to protest to the stubborn trolls but his protests fell to the deaf ears of the trolls and he was rudely interrupted.

" _Listen up, you filthy maggot! We are not interested about your filthy message from your wretched king of Gundabad. Our orders are simple and clear, tasked from our mistress Nazihra herself. NO INTERRUPTIONS, while our mistress is busy in working with her work to conquer the north for the Dark Lord's power! So no matter how urgent is any message coming for her from all over, we are tasked to not allow anyone to pass to interrupt her while she's working. SO BE GONE, BOTH YOU AND YOUR BIG RED LIZARD, BEFORE I THROW YOU OFF THE BALCONY!_ " The first troll threatened.

The Fire-Drake hissed aggressively towards the trolls, drooling the lava-like flaming liquid out of its mouth.

" _I'm warning you, fat so, and I'm not going to warn you for second time! You have two alternate choices! One, if I don't get pass to deliver my urgent message to her mistress right here, right now, I will have my Fire-Drake to burn your pathetic fat bodies to dust and tell to her mistress that you two fools threatened the messenger of the warlord king of Gundabad! Two, I will leave from this balcony, but I will fly straight to the top of the tower to deliver my message for her PERSONALLY! And if she demands to know the true reason of this interruptions and if she finds out that you two delayed me from delivering my urgent message which her mistress needs to know, she will strip both of you from your armors, torture you two in her torture chambers – and I'm going to make sure I can see it and I will enjoy it – and feed you two for the were-worms. So, though you're trolls, and even Olog-hai, use your acorn-sized brains and move out of my way as long as you still can._ " Tûgog said both with threatening and warning tone.

The trolls only burst into laugh at this.

" _Your threats, you maggot, nothing else than make us laugh._ " One of the trolls said.

" _Now, enough of this foolishness and your ridiculous threats. One last time, be gone, before we throw you off the balcony!_ " Another troll threatened.

Tûgog's fire-drake hissed even more at the trolls.

" _As a messenger and in the business of the warlord king of Gundabad, I'm not going to leave before my urgent message is delivered to her mistress and she gets to know about this threat against her work! Out of my way! Before I release my mount upon you!_ " Tûgog threatened.

By this threat, one of the trolls grabbed to the horn and blew with it the alarm sound, which was followed by the walls of the tower's peak being filled in the seconds by the dozens of the orc _Flame Archers_ and the side-towers of the peak of the tower were manned with the massive deformed trolls (gorilla-like ones) which carried in their backs the huge crossbows and the orc crew to handle it.

They all turned their weapons against Tûgog's fire-drake.

Tûgog snarled at the trolls for this.

" _Touch to the messenger of the warlord king of Gundabad, and the death beyond of your own imagination will come upon you two fools for your disobeyence!_ " Tûgog growled at the troll guards.

However, the troll guards started to slowly but menacingly approach Tûgog step by step, aiming their halberds at him, forcing Tûgog to back off slightly as the tips of the halberds blades approached him

" _You want to threat us more, maggot?!_ " One of the trolls said.

" _Because if you do, we have more reasons to throw you and your lizard of the balcony!_ " Another troll said.

However, while no one wasn't looking, something the dark magic undetectably filled the minds (by turning their eyes into black) of the orc Flame Archers and Crossbow Trolls, forcing them to lay down their arms and back off.

And at the same time, the same dark magic also filled Tûgog's fire-drake's mind and blackened the beast's eyes.

" _So, final last time, you maggot... GET OUT OF..._ " One of the trolls said and raised his halberd's hammer-side over his head to mash Tûgog against the balcony's floor.

But he never managed to hit, until Tûgog's fire-drake suddenly charged at the troll, digging its claws to the flesh above of the troll's chest armor and snapping its jaws around of the troll's helmet, violently shaking its heard to break the troll's neck and allowing its spittle-like flaming liquid to stream out of its mouth to the troll's helmet and face, burning it.

The remaining troll immediately backed off after the fire-drake's sudden attack, aiming its halbed at the winged beast.

Tûgog watched from aside with the sadistic pleasure as his fire-drake brutally mauled another troll – even though he did not give any order to his mount to attack – and caused the last one cowardly to back off from the balcony, trying to sneak pass of the winged beast and get back inside of the tower while the beast focus was in the another troll.

The fire-drake eventually and brutally tore the troll guard's head off and shook the helmet off from the troll's beheaded head, before it swallowed the troll's head completely.

And once the troll was dead, the fire-drake changed its attention to the last one troll.

But before the troll managed to reach by turning around and running inside of the tower, the fire drake, instead of lunging at the troll like it had done to the first one, unleashed its fires in the liquid version upon the troll.

The panicking troll tottered here and there in the flames, which burned its skin and melted its armor around of its body and head.

The fire-drake then stopped... but instead of allowing the troll to be completely consumed by the flames, the fire-drake turned around and swung its tail at the troll, knocing it off the balcony and sending it to fall the long fall to the city beneath of the tower.

And once the both trolls were dead, the fire-drake turned its attention suddenly to Tûgog.

The Gundabad orc was badly surprised and extremely nervous about the situation as his own fire-drake turned its hungry look at him, drooling it's flaming liquid from between of its scaly lips like his own mount was ready about to attack him, maul him and eat him.

More surprised Tûgog was when he was his drake mount's blackened eyes instead of the dragons usually flaming gold-red eyes...

...like his fire-drake was mind-controlled by the somekind of dark magic.

And Tûgog was right.

And immediately, to the entrance of the balcony appeared out of nowhere a huge and black unnaturally moving and swirling cloud, which started menacingly approach Tûgog while the cloud's size slowly The size reduced and eventually formed into the form of the slender and tall woman, who had the pale-skinned the blood-red lips like the vampire and the long and gently but unnaturally in the air flowing black hair. Her faces were smooth but tensed by her clearly seen stern personality. She was dressed into the black robe-like armor dress, to the black and in the air unnaturally floating cape and to the golden chest-armor. This woman's black armor dress seemed to end to the unnaturally the wearers steps following black cloud, which was flooding out from under her armor skirt as well as from her dress' wide sleeves and yet from her hair. And because of it, in addition of her unusual human size, it seemed like this woman was ghost-like floating in the air instead of walking on the floor of the balcony. And finally, the woman's eyes were quite dragon-like but unnaturally flaming gold-red, but they greatly resembled the _GREAT EYE OF THE ONE!_

Tûgog looked at the woman nervously and in the respectful fear, knowing that this woman was Nazihra herself.

And as the woman stopped right before of the nervous Gundabad orc, Tûgog immediately backed slightly away and kneeled deep down before her to show his fearful respect towards the _Servant of the Greatest Servants of the Dark Lord_.

" _My mistress, Nazihra._ " Tûgog said.

" _Rise, Fire-Drake Tamer._ " Nazihra said in the black speech, with the whispering-like and in the air echoing voice.

Even though the trolls Tûgog's drake-mount just killed said that Nazihra was quite busy with her work and she did not allow anyone to be interrupt her work, she seemed to be quite patient and on good mood as if she had just woken up from her well-slept slumber in her tower.

And without hesitation but still in the respectful means, Tûgog slowly stood upright on his feet.

" _Explain to me, what was that sound out here a moment ago? I was sleeping in peace in my tower, until I was suddenly wake up from my slumber by the loud alarm sound coming from my tower's balcony like my tower was under attack. I heard someone saying, messenger of warlord king of Mount Gundabad, who was threatened by my idiotic troll guards, judging from the threats sounding voices coming from the balcony. Of course, I allow them to smash any intruder or rude lower minion, who comes here so recklessly interrupt my work or slumber. But the messenger from the fellow ruler, either human or even orc, is a different case. Those two idiot trolls, despite of belonging to Olog-hai, which is the most intelligent race of trolls, apparently they cannot distinguish the lower minion and the messenger. And killing the any messenger probably with the extremely message about the enemy's movement or about the extremely important information about the progress of my forces, will only to delay progress of our task to conquer the Middle-Earth!_ " Nazihra said, with the angry hissing but also from Tûgog quite apologizing sounding tone, as he looked in disgust at the body of the troll Tûgog's fire-drake, which Nazihra had released from the mysterious mind-controlling dark magic, had killed and had allowed by Nazihra to feast with the troll's body.

Nazihra then turned back to Tûgog.

" _You had something for me from your warlord king of Gundabad Thakrak and my sorcerer in your king's fortress? Something very urgent I heard you saying to my idiotic guards. I'm here now, so you can fulfill your duty with that very urgent message._ "

Tûgog humbly nodded

" _Yes, my mistress. From your spy in the filthy human town in another side of the Misty Mountains._ "

Nazihra led Tûgog inside of his tower, to the hall next to the balcony, where Tûgog started immediately to tell to Nazihra everything his king had heard from her spy infiltrated among the people of town of Bree, who had originally sent the bat to the king Gorboglin and through of him to be sent to Nazihra a several days ago, until Thakrak's giant Gundabad bats had forced the bat to fly with them to Gundabad.

It took only ten minutes until Tûgog had finished with his message to his mistress.

However, unlike his king, Nazihra did not seemed to be enraged of these news.

And after Tûgog had finished, Nazihra opened her mouth to speak by her turn.

" _So, Gandalf Stormcrow, has secretly rallied a small band of warriors – two men, she-elf, dwarf and two halflings - in the Town of Bree... secretly from us... and secretly even from the White Council themselves... and labelled this small band of warriors from all four Free Peoples of the North as the Guardians of the Middle-Earth?_ " Nazihra said, wanting to know that everything was certainly true and not non-existent.

Tûgog nodded at her mistress.

" _And that they have somehow found out my plans fo conquer Eriador... including our upcoming goblin invasion targeted at the forest of Lóthlorien to kidnap the one she-elf princess to prevent the elves of Eriador from interferecing our plans and that they're right on their way, heading to Lóthlorien to prevent the forest being captured and she-elf princess kidnapped by Gorboglin's goblin forces... ny at first heading to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and get the raid from the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains over the mountains to get there before goblin troops, right?_ "

Tûgog nodded again.

Nazihra turned her back briefly at the Gundabad orc.

" _That foolish wizard! He's indeed a big fool. The king of all fools walking on this earth! If he honestly believes that the small band of warriors, including two halflings, can stand in the way of my conquest of the North, with the foolish hope to prevent my plans – which I've been working with NEAR ONE HUNDRED YEARS IN THE NAME OF THE DARK LORD HIMSELF - from happening or to make them undone... he does nothing else with his foolishly pathetic action than arises my ire and filling my iron grasp over the lands of Eriador with more cruelty, destruction and death... especially his beloved little Shire full of the pathetic halflings will burn!"_ Nazihra hissed.

Then, Tûgog opened his mouth.

" _My mistress. My king is absolutely agreed with you that this small pathetic band of the warriors will not stand chance against us, but your sorcerer Grûblik is disagree with the fact that they don't have a chance against us. So, my king awaits for your orders to react to this news. He has already sent the bat scouts to investigate the area of the Great East Road for any suspicious activity like this "Guardians of the Middle-Earth" and awaits your command to finish them off... and, of course, wanting to please you in order to retain his position as our warlord king of Gundabad in the fear of being replaced by you... even though this message wasn't meant for us but that goblin king Gorboglin."_ Tûgog said.

Nazihra nodded as an agreement at this.

" _Yes. It wasn't originally meant for your king but Gorboglin and through of him to me. But, I know too well the goblins. Rash and arrogant filths and always taking the situations into their own hands, thus resulting in a failure of the plans... MY PLANS! Gorboglin would have done nothing else but harshly and foolishly sent the huge pack of warg riders to watch over the Great East Road or large number of his goblins and trolls, thus revealing our presence to the elves of Rivendell and causing them to get suspicious about the goblin hordes massive numbers and to get mobilize, thus delaying our conquest of Eriador annoyingly long. It was well done from your king's bats to direct my spy's bat to Mount Gundabad, into the hands of the more reasonable orcs and one sorcerer member of my Organization of Thirteen. Because of that, we are more than just able to continue our progress and preparations for the upcoming war_ " Nazihra said.

Tûgog then stepped with a couple-three steps forward Nazihra.

" _My mistress, what about that old Stormcrow's Guardians of the Middle-Earth? Should we take care of them with the iron fist of the orcs?"_ Tûgog asked from her, saving some of the new later in case if Nazihra decides to send some of her hiding forces to destroy the Guardians of the Middle-Earth. Even though he knew that some of the news were far too important to be hidden from Nazihra and it would cost him his own life and get to be tortured and executed.

" _No to worry about them, Tûgog. They will be dead when they reach to Lóthlorien and when the invasion begins. It is one thousands goblins and trolls against each elf capable to fight. They will be dead with the people of Lóthlorien._ " Nazihra simply said, exactly with the same tone Thakrak had said.

After hearing this, Tûgog decided to reveal the important part of the news to Nazihra.

"With all respect, my mistress, even the smallest band can be the notorious threat for your plans. And that's not all. Your spy also informed in his message for you that one man-filth with them, one of the rangers of the North. Your spy saw him possessing the some kind of elven magic, which he used to create the invisible power shield, which prevented the outsiders of their secret operation from hearing them. The spy didn't inform in his message for you that how powerful this human sorcerer is, but the man possessing the elven magic can be the high threat for your plans, your mistress.

" Tûgog said.

This immediately caught Nazihra's attention, as he quickly turned back to Gundabad orc.

" _The ranger of the North... possessing the elven magic?!_ " She hissingly exclaimed, demanding the answers.

" _At least your spy informed in his message, mistress._ " Tûgog partially confirmed.

Nazihra's thoughs were immediately gone to thinking of these news carefully.

" _Dúnedain._ " Nazihra whispered, because she knew that from all the peoples of men of Middle-Earth, only Dúnedain were the most closest ones with the elves and granted with the many gifts... including the long life, the mastery of the elvish and even the elven magic.

Nazihra also knew that most of the blood of Númenor had been wiped out in the war between of Arnor and Angmar plus in the wars and plagues between of Gondor and Mordor, and that there was still some dozen or a few hundred left all around of the Eriador and the Middle-Earth...

...and she had learned from the _Dark Lord_ himself that only one of their people, from the long ago broken line of the kings, may be even more than just a major threat to his power in the future.

But could there be also the others from Dúnedain, whom are not as a big threat like the one of them is, but a threat nonetheless.

" _My mistress?_ "

Nazihra slowly turned to his direction, which caused Tûgog to back off out of fear of his mistress wrath about these news about one elven magic possessing man from the men of Dúnedain being part of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth.

But...however... after Nazihra had completely turned to face to face with the fearful Gundabad orc, Tûgog noticed that the look in Nazihra's faces, which were still tensed by her stern nature nonetheless, were instead of the enraged expression quite calmed like she had something already planned for the Guardians of the Middle-Earth.

" _My mistress? Your orders?_ "

Nazihra, however, didn't answer to Tûgog's request for the orders.

Instead, Nazhira walked out of the hall heading to deeper into her tower, and referred the Gundabad orc to follow her.

A bit hesitating, Tûgog obeyed her and followed.

Nazihra headed to her tower's housing peak's library, Tûgog right behind of her, which greatly resembled by its appearance the opposite fo the other libraries, like the one in Rivendell, one in the tower of Orthanc of the Isengard and one in Minas Tirith of Gondor.

This library was completely black and lightless like Orthanc's library, with its black metallic table, black metallic shelves full of black books and black metallic lanterns, in which was burning the unnatural purple fire to 'light' this library.

There, Nazihra took quickly pout of the map, which showed the entire area of the Eriador and spread it to the table.

Nazihra then referred Tûgog to come closer.

" _My spy informed in his message for me that the Guardians of the Middle-Earth are at the moment in the town of Bree or still within the borders of the Bree-land. Is that correct?_ " Nazihra asked as he showed Tûgog the location of the town of Bree with her finger.

Tûgog nodded.

" _Did my spy got any information about the White Council? Because judging from that Gandalf Stormcrow's interference into this by forming the secret organization called the Guardians of the Middle-Earth, he is also aware of our troops being on the mobilize and had_ _convinced the head of the White Council, the ruler of the Isengard and the greatest of all wizards, Saruman the White, to call together the White Council, which are always settled to the secret places, such like the elves hideout near of the forest of Trollshaws._ " Nazihra said, spitting in disgust as she mentioned the White Council, formed from the Wizards and the greatest elves of Middle-Earth to decide together about the current and upcoming events of Middle-Earth.

However, Tûgog did not know how to answer that. He wasn't informed about the White Council-called thing before he was sent to fly to here to inform to Nazihra about the news from her spy.

" _I have no idea, my mistress. I wasn't informed anything about that before my fly here. Only all that what was informed to my warlord king by your spy's bat. But I guess that Your spy probably didn't reach that far in the information... not even with his little spying friends. They did not mention anything about this Council._ " Tûgog eventually answered, or more likely guessed.

Nazihra, however, was quite suspicious about this.

" _They think that they're smarter than us. Well, as my spy informed about Gandalf's sudden disappearance from the meeting spot wit hthe rest of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth, he's totally fool by leaving them on their own. And now that they're still in the town of Bree, I say that we should send the small orc band to raid against the town, kill the members of this Guard and burn it to the ground with its pathetic residents... or send the goblin assassins to assassinate them while they're there... or then..._ " Nazhira said, listing many possible ways to get rid of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth, until Tûgog reluctantly interrupted his mistress.

" _With all respect, my mistress... I guess that all of that is in vain, because they're already left from the area of the human-town._ " Tûgog guessed as he turned his attention from the map on the table to Nazihra.

Nazihra turned her tensed by the severity, her dark glare in her flaming eyes and the explonation to this demanding expression towards the Gundabad orc, who immediately gasped and backed off a little bit, before he slightly relaxed himself and opened his mouth to speak.

" _Your spy also informed in his message that they may reach within week to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains, if they follow that road until its end, where is their meeting spot with the Eagles. They way also passed the Trollshaws forest and dangeroulsy close of the secret elven place."_ Gundabad orc added.

However, Nazihra was still suspicious about this.

She eyed the map for a long in silent, thinking of everything she had heard from Gundabad orc.

" _Maybe there's a reason, why did they say so."_ Nazihra eventually said.

Tûgog turned his eyes at his mistress with the confused look in his orc-faces.

 _"The end of the Great East-Road's is far in the north, far away from Lóthlorien forest. They must know that even in the backs of the Eagles, the way from their supposed meeting spot with the Eagles is too long for then to fly over the Misty Mountains. It's a five-day flight, and our troops are surely two-three days ahead of them. They were probably aware of the possible spies among of the townspeople of Bree and and they must have given us false information in order to bring us to either confusion or send us to the wrong direction... like in order to lure us to reveal ourselves to the elves of Eriador or buy for them enough of time to reach to their real meeting spot with the Eagles much further in the south. They're probably heading towards the lands of Eregion and near of the West-Gates of Moria. From there, they had the short flight over the Misty Mountains to Lóthlorien._ " Nazihra explained.

Tûgog listened everything carefully.

" _And, what we are gonna do about them?_ " Tûgog asked curiously.

Nazihra's answer to this was simple.

" _We have to delay their journey to their meeting spot with the Eagles in Eregion or their joyrney over the Misty Mountains in the back of the Eagles... for so long that Gorboglin's invading goblin forces can take the opportunity and conquer the forest of Lóthlorien and kidnap the she-elven princess from there and bring her far away from their reach. And because they have the man of Dúnedain possessing with the filthy elven magic, we have to send after then something which will make sure that they either never reach to their meeting spot with the Eagles or never reach ot the forest of Lóthlorien in time."_ Nazihra explained.

" _Then, what are my mistress orders for my warlord king of Gundabad? How we should react to this threat?_ " Tûgog asked.

Nazihra walked next to nervous Tûgog, and started to walk with him out of his black library.

They were heading towards the meeting hall's balcony, where Tûgog's fire-drake was impatiently waiting for its master in the next to the dead troll guard's bloody and half or mostly ravaged body.

During of their way to the Balcony, Nazihra explained to Gundabad orc her plans.

" _I want you to send my word back to your warlord king Thakrak. I order him and the armies out there to stand down in Gundabad and keep progressing in assembling of my armies in the northern mountains and his preparations for the upcoming war against the elves, dwarves, men and halflings of Eriador. The existence of my armies in the Valley of Angmar must be kept in the secret from the Free Peoples of Eriador until its our time for our massive strike into the heart of Eriador_. (Hobbiton/Shire.)"

" _But, before you return to the Mount Gundabad, I want you to pay a short visit in king Gorboglin's black goblin fortress, which locates in the deep in the large snowy mountain pass in middle of the meeting point between of mountains of Ettenmoors and the Misty Mountains, where he is assembling and preparing the massive army of goblins for the upcoming war against the Free People's of Eriador."_

 _"I want Gorboglin to send two groups of goblin hunters and goblin scouts on the mobilize. I want his goblin scouts to watch over the area around of the Trollshaws forest and watch over the possible elven partols... undetected, and they have my permission to assassinate them... only if necessary! But the main reason why I want this area to be watched over by both the scouts and hunters, is that if the Guardians of the Middle-Earth wants us to believe that they're heading to the south and aware of us sending the hunter and scout troops to watch over all to the south leading roads while they're instead walking along the Great East-Road... what I somewhat doubt."_

 _"And in case, if they're actually heading to the south, tell to Gorboglin to send two other goblin hunter and scout groups to the south and guard the open hilly areas and all the roads leading to the south from both inside and outside of the borders of Eregion for the band of two men, one from Gondor and two rangers of the north she-elf, dwarf and two halflings. And I want him to tell them that once his hunters or scouts had caught them in sight, I want them to kill them before they reach to their meeting spot with the Eagles."_ Nazihra said.

" _But what about they eventually, despite of all, reach to their meeting spot with the Eagles, my mistress?_ " Tûgog asked yet one more time.

Nazihra grinned evilly at this.

" _Tell your king that order him to send two small flocks of winged fire-drakes and drake-riders on the mobilize. I want one flock of the drakes and drake-riders to watch over the Misty Mountains from the area next to the elven hideout and Trollshaws forest and another one near of Moria's West-Gate. I want your king to tell them that they need to keep the air space with an eye for the small flock of the Eagles flying over of the Misty Mountains. And as a supportive backup forces, I will send some the mountain giants to guard the air space as well from below of their_ _patrol area._ _If Gorboglin's hunters and scouts fails to hunt them down and kill them, winged fire-drakes, drake-riders and mountain giants_ _can surely kill them from the air. With their fire-breath and their impermeable scaly skin, their Eagles stand not the chance against them."_ Nazihra added, giggling evilly like she was already imagining the afterwards of their settled ambushes for the Guardians of the Middle-Earth.

As a humorous orc, Tûgog was also about to giggle as he too imagined how their ambush from the air against the Guardians of the Middle-Earth was about to go, but Gundabad orc was able to hold his laugh back - though barely - in the presence of his death-serious mistress.

During of their work from Nazihra's tower's library until the meeting hall, Nazihra had wrote her orders as two messages in the black speech to the paper for Tûgog to send them to both Gorboglin in Ettenmoors and Thakrak to Gundabad... sealed messages with the signet of the _Great Eye of the One_ and handed them over to Tûgog.

" _One for Gorboglin in his fortress in the Hills of Ettenmoors and one for your warlord king Thakrak in Mount Gundabad? And make sure that my messages will get to their targets._ _You know what is the punishment under my rule and in the name of the DARK LORD himself for both the failure and disobedience. NOW, TAKE THEM AND THEN BE GONE!_ " Nazihra sternly ordered.

Gundabad orc, with the pleased and murderous grin on his faces, took the messages from his mistress arms, and with the humble bowings the orc backed off from the meeting hall backwards though directly towards his fire-drake mount waiting for him in the balcony.

" _As you wish, my mistress. My mistress word and will is the word and will of the DARK LORD himself and must be obeyed without the question or hesitation. All hail Nazihra! All hail the Witch-King and all hail the DARK LORD!_ " Tûgog humbly declared as he backed off next to his fire-drake mount, turned to his mount and climbed on its back.

Tûgog then turned his fire-drake around and urged it to take the fly, towards the Hills of Ettenmoors at first before heading back to the Mount Gundabad.

However, Nazihra did not wasted her time to follow Tûgog department but instead turned around and returned to her tower.

But before she was able to step to the corridor leading to her bedroom, to the balcony landed the another winged creature...

... about two-four minutes from Tûgog's depart towards the northern mountains with her messaged for their lords.

Nazihra sighed out of frustration... believing the interrupter to be Tûgog again, believing that Gundabad orc had fell in the such of short of time into confusion about the accurate advices of the orc's next task she gave to the Fire-Drake Tamer.

Nazihra couldn't believe that the same orc had turned back to ask more accurate advices from her for his task, even though the high-ranked Gundabad orc seemed to be fully aware of her advices and orders he was supposed to deliver to the rulers of the Ettenmoors and Gundabad.

However, he was the orc and orcs weren't known of their intelligence, except the high-ranked captains, generals and warlords of the armies of the dark forces. And Tûgog in addition of all happened to be the high-ranked leader of the fire-drake riders.

So, to finally get rid of the orc and to get back to slumber without any interruptions, Nazihra turned around and walked back to the meeting hall.

" _I already gave you my direct orders for your to deliver for your king and Gorboglin, Tûgog! My_ _commandments to react to this threat are clear and I will not repeat them to you._ _I demand you to BE GONE IMMEDIATELY FROM MY TOWER OR ELSE I WILL...!_ " Nazihra hissed furiously, as she entered to her tower's Balcony to face the interrupter of her slumber.

However on her balcony was standing instead of Tûgog's winged fire-drake one of the Fell Beasts from Mordor, which was not new to Nazihra, because all the messengers from Mordor arrives usually in the backs of the Fell-Beasts, because Mordor had not the winged fire-drakes like their foirces in the northern montains had.

However, who ever was riding on the back of the Fell Beasts, one messenger was already enough to Nazihra for one day, and she turned her flaming eyes from at her hungrily glaring and snarling head of the Fell Beasts to the one who was sitting on the back of the Fell Beast.

But once she took one look at the rider on the back of the Fell Beast, Nazihra gasped in shock at the sight before her.

 **To be continued...**

* * *

 **I hope that all of you who read this story enjoyed this chapter...**


	5. Chap5: The Evil's first move

GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH  
CHAPTER 5: EVIL'S FIRST MOVE.

" _Master..._ " Nazihra whispered in shock but also in respect...

...as she slowly fell on her knees to the floor of the visit room to show her deepest respect for her master who was standing right before of her in middle of the unnatural smoke-like black fog around of him, dressed into the large black and tattered robe and with the crown-like helmet with the face shield upon his head covered with the dark hood and the unnatural darkness within the hood...

...the Witch King of Angmar himself, with his Fell Beast mount waiting for his master outside in the Tower's balcony, feasting with the dead body of the troll Nazihra's last visitor's fire-Drake had left unfinished...

...of whom Nazihra considered even as her father-figure in addition of considering him as her master, judging from her gentle tone of voice and behavior in front of the Witch-King of Angmar.

Nazihra's orc and black númenorian servants in the same room kneeled down as well before of the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Greatest one of all the servants of the Dark Lord.

The Greatest Servant of the Dark Lord handed over his long and vicious-looking long sword and helmet to the guards of the Visitor Room's balcony, before he walked before of kneeling Nazihra.

" _Rise before of your master, Nazihra!_ " Witch-King ordered with his deep, whispering and in the air echoing voice, which wasn't harhsly demanded bu rather gentle and fatherly towards Nazihra.

Nazihra obeyed her master and rose back on her feets.

" _What brings my master from the Black Land of Mordor to make visit in my humble tower?_ " Nazihra asked in the polite tone.

The Witch-King immediately took action with his reason to be in the Citadel Tower of the city of **_Goi Zaukul_**.

" _As you know, our master granted his plans of Conquest of the North to your responsibility– as well as the full command over his forces in the North from Carn Dûm 'till here, so that he can turn his attention to the plans of Conquest of the human kingdoms in the south. And yet he granted to you two years time to build the armies for him in the Valley of Angmar, in the Hills of the Ettenmoors, in Mount Gundabad and in here! The master has already gave the full command to you to start mobilization of the armies and the Conquest of the North... but nothing has happened! The troops are ready for attack but they've done nothing but stood still for a few weeks after the command has been given! The master has grown both suspicious about the progress of the Conquest of the North in your responsibility and impatient. So, he wants to know that what is taking so long in building the armies and command them to the mobilization._ " The Witch-King explained his reason to his visit.

" _I hope that you have the good reason for me to be explained for the master, Nazihra._ " Witch-King added, demanding the answer.

Like he did a moment ago, Nazihra took immediately the action to explain the reason for her delaying the Dark Lord's orders.

" _Everything goes according to plan, my lord. My massive armies of orcs, men and monsters completely assembled together in the Valley of Angmar, in the Hills of the Ettenmoors and in the Mount Gundabad and are ready to start their massive attack against the people of Eriador, who do not suspect anything bad which is coming right upon them. Especially the endless army of the goblins, who are dying by the lust for revenge to those pathetic halflings their massive defeat in their hands back in the Shire a long ago._ " Nazihra started.

" _However, our troops movement has been observed and the Free Peoples of Eriador might be even warned about our plans to unleash our armies upon them and that they're both getting ready for that or at least being careful with the strangers. So it would not be the big surprise if the certain observer and big annoyance Gandalf Stormcrow would combine the elves of Rivendell and the Grey havens, Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, the Hobbits of Shire, the men of Breeland and the remaining Dûnedain into one army and call some of his ancient allies to join them against our forces like he did back in the Battle of the Five Armies._ "

" _And I assume the fact, my lord, that you already know the might of the elves in the warfare, being at least ten times far more better than the orcs in the close combat and in the swordsmanship and archery..._ "

" _...as well as the dwarves with their nearly unbreakable and highly disciplined Legions and with their war machinery..._ "

" _...and the strength of men of Dûnedain, being five times stronger than goblins or regular men, despite that there's too few of them left to be called an army._ "

" _But there is always a chance that they may call for help from Gondor to aid them in the upcoming war against our forces, through the coasts from Gondor's southern coast cities like Pelargir and, and maybe mostly from, Dol Amroth and maybe even from Cair Andros through the dry land... and who knows if the some of Rohirrim of Rohan might join them on their way to Eriador as well, increasing their allied numbers and might against us._ "

" _The White Council has been called together by that filthy half-elven Elrond and Saruman the White to the elves hidding spot, Rivendell, to which also that elven witch of the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien Galadriel has taken part as well. And the Dread Lord is the only one on Middle-Earth who can match that elven witch's power._ " Nazihra explained with the necessary details.

" _Then how does that explains the delaying our master's orders to launch our attack upon the Free Peoples of Eriador?_ " The Witch-King demanded to know.

Nazihra knew already how to answer to that.

" _I've formed the plan to ensure our victory, which is the reason why I have not delivered the Dark Lord's orders yet, my lord. In case if Pelargir and Dol Amroth in fact sends some of their armada to sail along the coast to help the people of Eriador and to ensure that they'll never reach to the Grey Havens, I've already sent a few Watchers of Water to ambush them from the abysses... and in addition to them, I've also sent to the coast several Great Reptails of Gundabad with the war towers attached onto their backs with the orc archers, soldiers to onboard their ships and with the large orc crossbows at the top of the towers... to wait 'till the arrival of the armada of Gondor._ "

" _And I've also sent one member of my Organization of Thirteen, my powerful orc sorcerer, Thrâk the Master of Necromancery, to travel to the Barrow Downs to influence those dark lands with his dark powers of necromancery to raise an army of the dead to block any entry to Eriador - including the entry of the army of Cair Andros - and escape from Eriador... and, because the undead army is under of my command through of Thrâk, I may unleash the army of the undead upon the Eriador just for fun._ "

" _But I've also formed the plan to keep the elves of Rivendell and Grey Havens from interfering to our conquest and greatly slow us down with their high mastery in swordsmanship and archery. I'm aware of the fact that that filthy half-elf Elrond's daughter is at the moment still in the Golden Forest of Lothlorien, so I made ordered the Goblin King Gorboglin, the son of Golfimbul and the lord of the Mount Gram and Ettenmoors, to send through of the Misty Mountains the invading goblin army to take over the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien - which defense is half-down due to that elven witch's departure for the White Council - and kidnap that half-elven's daughter, the she-elven princess, and take her to our prison tower in the peak of the Misty Mountain to rot there the rest of her life... and once we start our massive attack, we use her to force Elrond to order the full retreat upon the elves of Rivendell and the Grey Havens in exchange for his daughter's being unharmed... only to wait for their own doom as the dread Lord has ordered me to do._ "

The Witch-King stood a moment in silence in front of Nazihra, considering everything what Nazihra had explained to him.

" _Anything reports about the possible resistance from the opposite side?_ " Witch-King questioned.

Nazihra had already the answer for that.

" _Only one... pathetically small resistance... but still it should not be ignored._ " Nazihra explained.

" _They're called... the Guardians of the Middle-Earth._ "

The Witch-King turned to him and stood in silence. Because of his undead faces were covered by his hood and the unnatural darkness inside of his hood, it was difficult to say that what kind of react the Witch-King had in his faces.

However, Nazihra assumed that the Witch-King had a bit confused but mosty the explonation for this demanding attitude.

So, Nazihra started to explain with the needed details to Witch-King everything he had heard from Tûgog as he visited here a moment ago before the Witch-King.

" _My spy I've planted among the townpeople of Bree has caught the little insects talking about the resistance. Gandalf the Stormcrow has assembled together to the Town of Bree "secretly", from us and even from the White Council, the several warriors from every free race of Middle-Earth: Two men, one from Gondor and one from among the Dûnedain rangers - who even possess the mystical powers of the elves - the she-elf from the Golden Forest, the dwarf from the Blue Mountains and two halflings of Shire... of which he has organized the secret organization called the Guardians of the Middle-Earth._ "

" _Gandalf has already informed the Guardians about my plans to take over Lóthlorien through of Gorboglin's goblin invasion forces and kidnap the she-elf princess of Rivendell to use her as sanction for Elrond and the rest of the elves of Eriador to keep them from interfering into my plans... and that Stormcrow has already sent them to Lóthlorien to undo my plans and rescue the she-elf princess. They're right on that moment heading to their secret meeting place with the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains to have the ride from them across the Misty Mountains to Lóthlorien and they're probably very close of the mountains at the moment._ " Nazihra explained.

The dark mist around of the Witch-King turned more thicker and darker by the fury.

" _Then, as the responsibilities of our master's plans to conquer the North being successful is on your shoulders, and, presumably, aware of the knowledge of what the Master thinks about the isencts interfering his plans, you should not just stand here and do nothing but instead send some forces after those pathetic insects and wipe them out!_ " The Witch-King demmanded angrily and with the harsh tone.

" _Already organized, my lord. I heard all of this from the messenger of the king of Gundabad and I ordered him to take my own message for both Gorboglin and the messenger's king. I ordered the king Thakrak to sent some winged Fire-Drakes and some giants to their positions on two places in the mountains, where I assume they will try cross the mountains... either in the end of the Great East-Road, near of Trollshaw and Rivendell or much further in the south, near the abandoned dwarven kingdom of Moria, from where they have shorter flight across the mountains and to Lóthlorien. And they have my free permission and command to attack any the Great Eagles in sight and with the travelers on their backs trying to cross the mountains and prevent them from reaching to Lóthlorien._ "

" _I've also ordered Gorboglin to sent two large packs of hunters and scouts to scout and search the entire area of Rhudaur always 'till the southern border of Eregion to search for the group of two men, elf, dwarf and two halflings with the free permission to hunt them down and kill them once they're on their sight. Two packs with one hundred scout and one hundred hunter... these fools do not stand the chance against them and they'll never reach to the mountains not across the mountain to the forest of Lóthlorien._ " Nazihra explained.

Though Nazihra was from all his own servants the most high-ranked commander and the most trusted servant and even the right-hand-woman of his who considered him as her father, the Witch-King remained still suspicious about the one thing, that were Nazihra's attempt enough to keep these so called - Guardians of the Middle-Earth, one of whose happens to be one of the Dûnedain with the elven magic in his possession - from interfering their master's plans of Conquest of the North.

" _Well then, when you are about to finally obey the master's orders to launch your attack upon Eriador?_ " The Witch-King questioned anyway.

" _Once those annoying insects of Gandalf the stormcrow are wiped out, the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien conquered and burned to the ground and whe nthe she-elf princess is behind of the locks in out dungeon fortress in the Misty Mountains. All I ask from our master is a little bit more patient so that I can to execute my plans against Lóthlorien, my lord._ " Nazihra said.

The Witch-King remained silent for a moment, still suspicious about the functionality and progress of the plans to Conquer the North under the darkness and the domination of the Dark Lord himself.

However, he eventually nodded.

" _Do as you like, Nazihra, but do not delay the master's orders for too long._ _You know well the consequences if the master's orders are either disoveyed or delayed far too long. And you're not in the rank to tell to the Dark Lord what to do, but in the rank to do whatever the Dark lord commands you to do and obey it without the hesitation and without the question. You understand?_ " The Witch-King questioned.

Nazihra kneeled down before of his master with the respect.

" _I understand, my lord._ " Nazihra answered.

" _Good. Now, if you excuse me, I'll bring these news personally to Master himself... and you better hope that he is patient enough to grant you more time to execute your plans to stop these, Guardians of the Middle-Earth, and conquer Eriador under of his domination in time!_ " The Witch-King harshly added, before he was about to exit from the Visitor Hall and enter to the balcony, where his Fell-Beast was waiting for its master to come.

however, before the Witch-King was about to have her sword and her helmet back from the orc guardians.

" _One thing more, my lord, which both of you and the Dark Lord should to know._ " Nazihra suddenly said after her master, successfully gaining the Witch-King's attention to her one more time.

* * *

Nazihra then led the Witch-King out of her tower to the caverns beneath of **_Goi Zaukul_**.

And because Nazihra and her Organization of Thirteen were the founders of the entire fortress and the city of **_Goi Zaukul_** and were leading its construction from the start, only Nazihra and her Organization of Thirteen knew the every tunnel and every corner and every cave's, room's and hall's location and the way both inside and outside through of this labyrinthine tunnel network under of the fortress.

However, the outsiders, both enemies and allies who were brought in the fortress, were doomed to lost and wander in its endless and labyrinthine tunnels without the hope to find out of there and without the hope to see the daylight ever again... until they either died there or were recaptured by the residents of the fortress.

While being led to under of the fortress, the Witch-King saw some beneath of the fortress as well going large passageways which were full of the orc waggons filled with the trees stolen from the Mirkwood's forest and the mined metal, and were pulled forwards by the Great Beasts or trolls who were controlled by the orc drivers.

It took some time from Nazihra and the Witch-King to reach to the massive caverns beneath of the fortress, where the air space of the cavern was filled the smell of the smoke as well as by the admixture of the thousands of the hundreds of loud commandments and the workers screaming in pain, whipping shounds of the whips, thousands and thousands echoing sound of the metal whacking metal, the heady squeaky sounds of the machinery.

There was also the thousands and thousands fire places everywhere, causing the cavern's wall to glow the colors of the fire.

The walls of the cavern were covered with the wooden wall build from the wood and which went up always from the bottom of the abyss 'till the ceiling of the entire cavern. The wooden walls were linked to each others with the wooden bridges and the walls had hundreds of floors, where the orcs had built the thousands and thousands of the lumber mills, where they chopped the trees they brought beneath of the fortress into pieces to feed the fires beneath of the fortress, thousands of furnaces and the armories, where they melt thousands of tons metal they had mined and they forged from the molten metal tons and tons of weapons and armors.

However, as Nezihra led the Witch-King deeper to the cavern, the Witch-King noticed that the weapons - such like spears, swords, warhammers, spiked maces and the large shields - the orc and humans workers and the slaves were forging in their workshops were too large and heavier-look for the regular orc soldiers and their human allies to use in the battle. And not to mention about the chest armors and helmets, which were too large and heavvy for the regular orcs to wear.

The Witch-King at first believed them to be for the trolls, Olog-Hai trolls, but from close up view, he noticed that the armors seemed to be designed for a little bit smaller creatures than the regular sized mountain trolls.

The Witch-King was left confused about this and Nazihra refused to reveal it because he kept it as surprise for him and the Dark Lord...

...until they finally reached to the bottom of the cavern, which was filled with the thousands and tousands tons of mud, where the orc and human workers and slaves were like digging the piles of mud with their orc shovels and they were like they were pulling something out from the muddy ground.

" _I'm fully aware of the fact that the Dark Lord a long time ago_ _interbreeded_ _the orcs and humans, creating the powerful and strong orc race Uruk-Hai without any weaknesses of the orcs - as well as he_ _interbreeded uruk-hai and trolls to create Olog-Hai to erase the trolls weakness to the sunlight -_ _in order to use them as the weapons against the people of Gondor. And because I'm aware of the fact that the highly-ranked, highly skilled and much experienced elite elven soldiers and even the regular elven soldiers from the neighbor-kingdom of the wood-elves can match over two dozen orc warriors in the close combat without even slowing down or even_ _tiring the elves."_

 _"And I am not so foolish to waste my warriors by sending the army of the orcs one by one to attempt to conquer the elven-king Thranduil's halls, which is nearly impossible to do without suffering the catastrophic casualties in the hands of his filthy elves..."_

 _... s_ _o I have decided to both create something which can match the elves speed and skills with the heavy, brutal and unstoppable force... and I've also planned something very twisted to conquer the Halls of Thranduil without sending the army to there and suffering any heavy casualties."_ Nazihra explained.

" _Who do you want to see the first, my lord. My newest creations or my plan to conquer the Halls of Thranduil?_ " Nazihra asked.

Thye Witch-King concidered his decision of this for a while in the silence, though he was quite interested that what Nazihra had accomplished during of her time here.

" _Show me your creations at first._ " The Witch-King eventually answered after making his decision.

Nazihra smiled at him and led him to the wooden balcony, from where the view over the muddy bottom of the entire cavern was opened.

" _Because the Dread Lord had already breeded the orcs and humans together, creating Uruk-Hai, I decided to create something larger, something stronger, something clearly unstoppable. So I managed_ _interbreeding two races together into one. I started doing it about the year ago, planting the entire army of_ _embryos under the mud,_ _and I think that the first ones have been_ _evolved long enough and that it is time for them to emerge from the ground befoe of their masters._ " Nazihra explained.

" _What then you have created by_ _interbreeding_ _two races together as one, Nazihra. You better make this quick, because I have the message to be delivered to the Dark Lord._ " The Witch-King impatiently rushed.

" _Patient, my lord. Patient... because I think that..._ "

Suddenly, the large pile of the mud started suddenly to shake and raise from the ground like there was something moving beneath of it. After noticing this, the orc and human slaves and workers quickly retreated far away from it, but the orc workers forced the ione dozen of human slaves to dig it up with the whips and torches.

" _...the very first one is incoming!_ " Nazihra exclaimed.

Though nervous and scared about that what kind of hideous creature will emerge out from the mud, the human slaves kept as forced digging the incoming monstrosity out from the mud and removing the mud off from the monster's back, until it was able enough to emerge out from the mud by himself.

" _Behold my the lastest creation and the first of his own kind, my lord. The something that has never been seen before walking on the Middle-Earth!_ "

" _Nothing will halt it, no stone walls, no metal gates, no elven, dwarven nor men armies._ _And most enjoyable fact, nothing can nearly kill it!_ "

" _It has the Olog-Hai's brutal strength and thick leather and uruk's brains and thus intelligence, erectness, killer's instinct and lust of blood!_ "

" _I GIVE YOU, MY LORD... UROG-HAI... HALF OLOG-HAI AND HALF URUK-HAI!_ " Nazihra loudly declared...

...as the creature she called as _Urog-Hai_ emerged out with the brutal force from the muddy pit beneath of the pile of mud, which the monster threw off him.

The creature was nearly as large as the horseman on the back of the horse. This monstrous Olog-Uruk-hai hybrid had the Uruk-Hai's slender, straight and muscular body structure but still a troll-like appearance, with the trolls thick four-toed legs and massive four-fingered hands. The rest of their body, from their shoulder to the top of their heads was more human/uruk-hai shaped but their faces was mixture of Uruk-Hai's and Olog-Hai's faces. They still possessed the trolls wide faces and the wide mouths with the trolls tusks, but they had adobted the uruks hideous teeth and gums baring expression, Uruk-Hai's yellowish glowing eyes, long hair and Uruk-Hai-like noses.

The monster immediately spread its massive arms around and let out the loud roar, which was ten times louder than the lone uruks roar and like the roar of ten olog-hai trolls, which loudly echoed in the air space of the cavern.

And as its very first act after its birth, the monster grabbed two human slaves into his hands, roaring at out of the fear screaming humans before he tossed with the brutal force one of them to the ground and stamped the human beneath ot his feet, pressing his leg and the poor human slave further and further into the mud until the man slave was completely beneath of the mud surface and choked to death there. The last one the troll killed the last slave by forcing his head into his mouth before the monster closed his mouth around the slave's head and with his hand he tore the slave's head off from his body... swallowing it, before the monster tore the headless body apart.

The hybrid monster then a bit calmed down, though it still growled loudly at the slaves and workers, until it started to examine its muddy itself.

" _These beauties are at least five times s_ _tronger, smarter and thanks for their thick skin more durable than regular Olog-Hai and Uruk-Hai, that even the_ _highly-ranked, highly skilled and much experienced elite elven soldiers will fall helpless on their knees before of these. They might not be fast, but they have also less weaknesses. And when more of these beauties like that will born from the ground, I will create unstoppable army of Uruk-Olog-hai hybrids." Nazihra said,_ while looking with pride at her own newest creation.

The Witch-King was quite impressed of Nazihra's creation.

" _It is... perfect._ " The Witch-King said with the impressed tone.

 _"And that's not yet all, my lord. Once their number has grown large enough, I will began training the first ones by sending for them hundreds of useless human and orc workers and slavers to be slaughtered by them... first with the bare firsts and then with the weapons my workers and slaves were forging at the moment up there. And once they're ready, I will sent the first ones as the field test to the Halls of Thranduil and see which one of them is far more better, before I start training them to march and fight in disciplined units... to become more powerful than ever! It will be... beautiful._ " Nazihra added.

" _Field test against the Halls of Thranduil? But you said that you had something else planned to conquer their kingdom without suffering any casualties, if I'm not mistaken._ " The Witch-King said, a bit confused about Nazihra mentioned the field test against the wood-elves of Mirkwood.

" _And shall I have, my lord._ " Nazihra answered.

" _Follow me._ " Nazihra urged and exited from the balcony, leaving her creation in the hands of the slaves and workers, who immediately started to direct the large hybrid monster towards the training area.

* * *

Next place, where Nazihra headed and led the Witch-King walking right behind her, were the dungeons of **_Goi Zaukul._**

So they headed upwards, back to the fortress and exited from the workshop caverns beneath of the fortress.

It also took some time for both of them to pass across the entire city by walking through of the stone bridges rather than labyrinthine streets beneath of them, until they eventually arrived to **_Goi Zaukul_** 's dungeons...

...which were revealed to be two high and thick black wall-like towers standing next to each others.

And the between of these wall-like towers was the wide air space.

And between and beneath of these wall-like towers opened far to the underground leading deep, night dark and foggy abysses.

The inner walls of the towers were linked with each others with the wide and thick stone bridges and the large metal chains, in which was hanging dozens or hundreds body cages filled with the prisoners, who were left at the mercy of in the fortress living nasty half-serpentine and half-vulture like creatures.

And in the inner walls of these towers was from the top of the towers inner walls to the deep abysses at least one thousand lines of five hundred cave-like prison jails in each one of them with the balcony-like passageways.

Each night-dark, cold, dirty and awfully smelling prison jail had no windows, except crudely forged doors with the metallic bars, which opened to the outside and were therefore locked with three large wooden latch.

Into the jails was locked thousands of elves and woodmen and chained into the rusty chains to the jails walls and left to uncomfortable conditions until the rulers of this city found some use for them... mostly in the form of the slave work.

The towers balcony-like passageways passing the prison jails, the bridges, ways in and out to the prison and the rooftops of the towers were filled with hundreds and hundreds, nearly thousands of orc and troll prison guards huarding the prisoners.

Nazihra led the Witch King in front of one of the jails, to where was locked the woodland elf, who was badly beaten by the guards and seemed to be badly tortured judging from the scars the elf carried and was tied to a wooden pole attached to the stone floor of the prison jail.

The heavily armored and with the halberds and large shields armed orc guardians opened the latches and allowed the entry to Nazihra and the Witch King to inside and by Nazihra's orders, without locking the doors.

However, four guards followed them to inside and surrounded the elf captive, aiming their halberds at him despite the fact that the elf was tied up.

Nazihra and the Witch-King both stared at captive elf.

" _This one was spying, m_ _ore obviously by order of Thranduil,_ _our fortress and our acticity for several days, until we caught him from the act several days ago, after he had probably broken through of the guards and got inside of the fortress and eventually probably lost his way in the labyrinthine tunnels._ " Nazihra explained.

" _First act of mine after my guards capturing him and bringing him before me, was sending him to the torture chambers as a punishment for trying to break in and escape with the information of our activity in here... and first of all, break his spirit, so he can reveal to us everything what he had already seen in here and learned from our activity._ "

Nazihra was able to sense that the Witch-King was hissing in anger after hearing that their plans were almost exposed by these "filthy elven scum."

" _What information he secretly received from us?!_ " The Witch-King demanded to know.

" _Luckily for us, not so much. Only finding out this city coming back to alive again after centuries, as he and his king believed this city to be dead and a long ago abandoned. He also found out that we were building here and army from u_ _nprecedented breed he had ever seen or heard before... and he also found out that most of the prisoners are the elves... but he did not receive anything about our plans for the people of Eriador neither the plans against the peoples of elves, dwarves and men of Rhovanion before he get caught. That's all my lord._ " Nazihra explained.

The Witch-King was quite suspicious about that.

" _Then why this filthy scum is still alive?! Why you have not ordered him to be killed as spy of the elven king?!_ " The Witch-King demanded to know.

" _Because, my lord, he's going to help me in my Conquest of the Halls of the Elven King Thranduil_." Nazihra answered with the evil grin on her lips.

" _Before you arrived, my lord, I was paid the visit by Tûgog the Fire-Drake Tamer from Mount Gundabad with the message through of his king from my spy in the town of Bree about the situation and the resistance of the opposite side in Eriador. I ordered at first my guards to deny his entry into my tower, no matter how emergency his message for me was... which was in fact the fake order and the field test... s_ _ecretly arranged by me..._ _for something very_ _enjoyable thing I wanted to test before I could test it to the entire kingdom of the elves_ _. While Tûgog was discussing with with my guards and the situation was going into the_ _critical and hostile level between of Tûgog, his mount and my guards_ _, I used it as an advantage to test my new powers of controlling the minds of the other living things and thus I easily took over Tûgog's Fire-Drake's mind and commanded it with my mind and the movements of my limds to do whatever I commanded_ _from a distance... for eample to_ _kill the guards. And with this ability's extra ability, to follow the situation through of his Fire-Drake's eyes, I witnessed that bloody test, which was successful... really successful._ " Nazihra gloried with the pride.

Nazihra sensed too well the Witch-King to be quite impressed about this... because he was aware of the Dark Lord's deep hatred towards the elves which still burned the very great after the thousands years since the Ring of Power/The One Ring was forged in the flames of the Mount Doom and his plans were revealed to the elves.

Nazihra's plan to destroy the elves was quite impressive, using both the brutal force and the mind manipulation against them.

"And this is what you have planned to use against the woodland elves after you have tested your new creatures on them?" The Witch-King questioned.

Nazihra nodded at her master.

" _Of course, my lord. But I haven't tested it yet to the mind of the elves. The Fire-Drake was easy thing due to the beast primitive mind. But it might be a bit difficult with the elves. So, it's now the perfect time to test the power of the mind manipulation with this one._ "

" _Show me your skills, Nazihra._ " The Witch-King demanded.

" _With the pleasure, my lord._ " Nazihra giggled evilly with the pleasure.

Nazihra then turned to the captive elf and extended her right arm towards him.

Nazihra's faces hardened as she focused with all her powers to take over the captive elf's mind under her control... and her face hardened more that she closed her eyes, which was just like the elf captive was struggling back against Nazihra in the spiritual struggle with the minds.

So Nazihra decied to increase her powers... putting into the fight everything she had to break into the elf's mind.

There was the sound of the deep hum heard all around of them... which were like a deeply echoing humming whisperings something in the black speech, but which was something more than just the normal black speech... something ancient and dark witchcraft.

And then, after the while.

The guards torches suddenly died.

Everything turned much darker... despite the fact that there was already dark due to the darkness of the jail and the black clouds above of the entire fortress and the ccity, blocking any kind ofg light from reaching the ground.

The elf seemed to be desperately struggling in pain and was like she was loosing the battle in minds with Nazihra.

Now, it was Nazihra, who was covered by the unnatural dark fog, which mostly covered her extended arm in the black cloud-like form.

And when she opened her eyes, they had turned into the flaming eyes by the dark magic she was spelling and her eyes resembled greatly the Great Eye of the Dark Lord himself.

Suddenly, the cloud-like darkness launched from Nazhira's extended arm towards the elf and slithered in the air like the snake.

The orc guards then grabbed to the captive elf and forcefully lifted his head up and forced his mouth to open.

And after they did so, the dark cloud-like magic forced its way into the elf through of his mouth and some of the tentacles of the cloud-like darkness entered into himself through of his eyes.

After feeling the dark magic entering through of his mouth and his eyes into himself, the elf started to cry in pain within himself and started to struggle for his life in his capturers arms to try to get free from their grip, but the orcs grip was too tight and the orcs forcefully and with ease kept the elf still...

...it was all in vain for the elf, while...

...even more and more dark cloud-like magic entered inside of him through of his mouth and the eyes.

This torture the Nazihra with the pleasure delivered to the poor elf prisoner continued for while...

...until, Nazihra eventually stopped.

The fog-like dark magic suddenly disappeared from around of her, her flaming eyes turned back to her normal eyes and the torches of the orcs came back to life.

" _It has done, my lord. The test has been passed._ " Nazihra said her voice full of pride of what she had just done.

The captive elf seemed to be like fainted from such of torturous test Nazihra executed on him... but he wasn't.

In fact, his appearance had changed a little bit.

The woodland elves usual blonde golden hair had been changed into the dark black and his skin was more pale by the color like the vampires.

And once the elf raised his head up and opened his eyes, his eyes were widened like the Moria goblins eyes and they were replaced with the same unnaturally flaming eyes of the Dark Lord himself and he even had the longs fangs like the orcs. The elf also hissed angrily at his capturers.

" _What did you do to him?_ " Witch-King demanded to know.

" _In addition to taking the full control over his mind, I also planted to him the some features from the orcs. He is still an elf with the skills of the elves and the lifespan of the elves, but with the some beast features the orcs bears within themselves, with the five times increased natural elven speed and skills of the elves and completely under my control. I shall call him, the Dark Elves, and with this power in my possess, I shall create in addition to my Urog-Hai race the army of the Dark Elves... from my elven prisoners.._ " Nazihra explained.

Nazihra then turned to the _first and original_ Dark Elf before her.

" _Elefian, I assume to be your name, you're now fully under my control and my command. My name... is Nazihra, the Mistress of the city of_ ** _Goi Zaukul_** _and t_ _he servant of the Witch-King, the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Greatest Servant of the Dark Lord himself. You are the first magically reborn Dark Elf, possessing the five times increased natural speed and fighting skills of the elves, and you shall be as the first one of your kind the general of my incoming army of the Dark Elves. And in the name of the Dark Lord, YOUR OVERLORD, from this moment you will serve the overlord's orders only through of one person with loyalty and without the question..._ "

" _...so tell me..._ "

" _...whom do you serve?_ "

Elefian called Dark Elf hissed angrily that the somekind of spider's poison-colored (gray-green) spittle flowed from his mouth.

" _The servant of the Lord of the Nazgûl, the Greatest Servant of the Dark Lord... NAZHIRA'AAAAAA!_ " Elefian loudly hissed.

* * *

Meanwhile.

After a couple-few days, Tûgog the Fire-Drake Tamer had already reached in the back of his Fire-Drake to the Misty Mountains and was heading stright towards the Hills of the Ettenmoors... crossing the Misty Mountains with the speed of the wind.

It did not take long from him to cross the mountain in middle of the clouds in order to be undetected by the Great Eagles...

...before Tûgog encouraged his Fire-Drake to gather his wings together and plunge towards the ground with the free falling speed, emerging out from the clouds.

And when they were close enough to the ground, Tûgog pulled from the reins his Fire-Drake's head upwards and the winged beast finally spread his large red wings to slow down before they hit to the ground.

Following that, the Fire-Drake floated in the air a bith high above of the ground...

...until the Fire-Drake and its master flew through of the entrance to the large and snowy mountain pass, which led to the valley in deep in the mountains which was located in middle of the meeting point of the mountains of Ettenmoors and the Misty Mountains.

There was an ancient black fortress-tower there, leaning against the mountainside.

The gigantic and the sinister-looking stronghold and hideout of the evil residents and the evil creatures that dwelled in the hills and mountains of the Ettenmoors, was hewn the centuries ago from a living black rock of the mountainside, and it was built to resemble the demonic faces, of which the large eye-holes, the entrance to the balcony on the nose-like overhang and as its mouth full of the sharp beast-like stone tusks, which served also as the gate of this sinister stronghold, glowed the blood-red fiery glow due to the somekind of hideous dark magic. The huge spiked towers, long stone spikes and the spike-edged walls above of the fortress' demonic faces created the hideous-looking crown.

Around of the stronghold in the mountainside – as in the both mountainsides of this mountain pass – had dozens and dozens of the caves and large burrows, which the large entrances were glowing with an unnatural glow of the flames. Some of the caves entrances were hewn to resemble the hideous and the demonic fire-breathing mouths with the vicious-looking stone tusks. There and inside of their labyrinthine underground caves and tunnels lived hundreds of thousands of the evil goblins, several dozens of the cave-trolls, thousands and thousands of the giant spiders and even some the wingless fire-drakes preparing for the upcoming war.

Around of the fortress was build the massive wooden fortress-like town of thousands and thousands of the large and small wooden shacks and numerous of wooden shack towers, between of which was going hundreds of the wooden bridge-like porches and suspension bridges. this wooden shack-town's architecture resembled strongly the admixture of the Goblin Town and the Lake-Town, and the town with the thousands of the goblin-tents filled the entire valley around of the dark fortress and it was populated by the massive and never-ending army of the hobbit- dwarven- human- or even troll-sized goblins. Among of the whooden shacks was hundreds of mine tunnels, lumber mills, slaughter houses, furnaces, armories, training areas, paddocks where they kept their wargs and other war beasts, large cages for the trolls, ogres and even giants and large moving cages, where they kept both winged and wingless Fire-Drakes

The area around of this hideous place, both town and the fortress, was bordered by a large and a thick black wall made of black stone, with the spiked fences and with the line of the large and thick goblin sentry towers full of the goblin archers, and which were linked to each others with the three large wooden suspension bridges in the different levels, under of which was hanging the hideously forged metallic body cages, which were filled with into the cage locked dead or dying prisoners, who were left at the mercy of the wretched weather and greed vultures in the different levels between of the the towers... just like back in the **_Goi Zaukul_**.

Among of the line of the sentry towers was also those towers, in the top of which was standing the giants with the boulders to be thrown and some of the towers was also the gigantic and savage-looking mountain apes with their tusk and long claws and with the large ballistas attached to their backs.

Tûgog flied over the wall and its towers without being stopped by the goblin guards on the towers and flied over the shack-town, heading towards the goblin fortress.

But unlike back in the **_Goi Zaukul_** , this fortress had not such of large balcony leading to the visitor hall.

So, Tûgog had to land to the rooftop surrounded by three large black towers with his Fire-Drake.

And there, right after his landing and dismounting from the back of his Fire-Drake, Tûgog met at first the large group of armored goblin guards aiming their halberds and crossbows with the flaming bolts at the Fire-Drake Tamer.

The goblin guards were then soon joined by two three goblins

Two of the goblins had the skull-like helmets with two metal-plates towering in arch from the helmet's forehead spot and ended to curve to the sides with the pointed and two-branched ends. They also had the gray poncho with the blood-red feathers attached to its hanging hems. The goblins also had from the blood-red feathers made collars/kilts around of their heads. They had also brown goblin-skirt reaching from their waists to their legs, and in which was also hanging the skulls coming from their victims.

The goblins were used both as their primary weapons the wide dragon-wings resembling wide shields with the spiky or sharp edges and two long-handled and vicious-looking halberds... and they also had the long goblin-scimitars hanging in their backs.

And the leader-like one of theirs has the brown leather hoodie over his head and with the mask. And the goblin had also the metallic kilt over his sleeveless leather shirt, which served as well as the chest guard. The goblin also had the brown goblin-skirt reaching from his waists to his legs, in which was the thick fur boots. The goblin leader also had the wrist guards over his wirst, made from the nine metal plates with three spikes and the tenth plates were covering the back-side of their hands.

This goblin had as its primary weapons the spiky goblin-mace in his arms and several long vicious-looking javelins, which the goblin kept in his leather- and with fur covered quiver hanging in its back.

" _Krûk the Entry Blocker_ " Tûgog greeted as politely as the orcs "can".

However, the goblin called Krûk the Entry Blocker's greet was far away from the polite manners.

" _What are you doing here, Gundabad scum?_ " Krûk questioned.

Judt like among the uruks and orcs, also the orcs and goblins had the very hostile relationship towards each others due, to the different levels in discipline, strength, size and thus superiority between of the often deformed and weakling goblins and a bit larger and stronger orcs - which would often led into the bloody brawl between of the orcs and goblins.

" _I'm messenger of Gundabad, in the business of_ _Thakrak the Flamemane, the king of Gundabad and Nazihra, the mistress of the **Goi Zaukul** and a top servant of the Greatest Servant of all servants of the Dark Lord... and I have an urgent message for your master, Gorboglin the Goblin King of Ettenmoors and the Mount Gram._" Tûgog informed the reason of his presence in this filthy goblin fortress.

However, just like back in _**Goi Zaukul**_ , the goblins were reluctant to allow Tûgog to pass, even though they all noticed that he had the winged Fire-Drake with him.

" _Our master is busy right now! That's why we cannot allow you to pass!_ " Krûk informed back.

Tûgog's Fire-Drake snarled loudly at the goblins, letting some fire out of the its mouth, which caused the goblins to retreat hastily away from the Fire-Drake, which walked on the side of his master and kept snarling at Krûk and the other goblin guards... while the goblins in response kept aiming both it and its master with their crossbows and halberds.

" _The last ones who dared to block my entry to speak the ruler of the fortress met the very unpleased fate in the fangs of my pet. So you better to let me go through to speak with your king in the business of Nazihra, or else my pet will burn your filthy pathetic bodies into dust!_ " Tûgog threatened, to which his pet snarled out of pleasure, drooling the fiery glow glowing liquid out of its mouth.

The goblins settled themselves into the battle station after Tûgog's threat and aimed most of their weapons at the fire-drake, as the beast - by the nod from his master after it was clear that these goblins weren't gonna grant the entry to their king for his master, even in the business of and with the message from Nazihra - pulled his head backwards and was about to release the breath of fire upon the horde of goblins.

However, before the Fire-Drake was able to unleash the flames upon the goblins...

" _Not necessary, Tûgog. You have my permission to entry._ " Someone said behind of the goblins.

It was Gorboglin.

A bit over human-sized, obese but muscular, pale-greenish-skinned goblin king of Ettenmoors and the Mount Gram emerged out from the dark tunnels leading into and out of the rooftop of the fortress.

The goblin king had the very same vicious crown with the spikes and on them hanging and rotting beheaded dwarven heads upon his head, like he had back then when he had met Nazihra in the elven village destroyed in the attack of the dragon and he carried with his hands the very same black staff with to it attached the dwarven skulls, with the dark-purple crystal inlays in the skulls eye-holes.

The goblin king, instead of his cape made out of the dwarven headscalps, was wearing also the large furry cape made out of the skinned warg-furr and having two warg heads, from which had been removed the lower jaws, on his shoulders.

And once the goblin king emerged out from the darkness with his heavily armored goblin body guards, all the goblin guardians on the roof top around of Tûgog and his Fire-Drake immediately fell on their knee before Gorboglin to show their respect for their master.

However, Tûgog's fire drake was unable to hold his upcoming fiery breath back and unleashed the fire ball, which exploded in the form of huge flash in next to the several goblins... most of whom were, with the expection of couple unlucky ones who were burned immediately to the death, saved by getting into cover behind of their shields against the Fire-Drake's flames.

This act forced the frightened goblins to retreat far away from the Fire-Drake.

All expected their king.

Gorboglin stood still where he was stopped after emerging out from the caverns-like tunnels.

Gorboglin then turned to Tûgog.

" _I guess that you have the message for me from Nazihra, if I heard everything right while coming up here._ " Gorboglin said in the black speech to the Fire-Drake Tamer.

Tûgog nodded at the goblin king.

" _Gorboglin, the king of Ettenmoors and the Mountain Gram. I come before you with in the business of Nazihra, the mistress of_ _ **Goi Zaukul** and a top servant of the Greatest Servant of all servants of the Dark Lord... I deliver to you the an urgent message._" Tûgog said, as he knelt down before Gorboglin, took out the message from Nazihra and handed it over to the Goblin Lord.

" _Our plans to conquer Eriador has been discovered. The Gray Wizard, Stormcrow, has noticed your troops march towards the elven forest in the another side of the mountains and has been assembled the group of two wretched men, one elf-filth, one dwarf-scum and two Shire rats as the secret organization of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth and he has sent them from the filthy human-town of Bree to the Misty Mountain's lower hills, where they will meet the Eagles of the mountains and fly over the mountains and head towards the elven fores, which is under of your troops attack, and save both the forest and the she-eöven princess Nazihra has ordered you to capture. Nazihra orders in her message you to sent the pack of hunters and scouts to scout the entire area of Rhudaur, from the area surrounding the forest ot Trollshaws to the gates of Moria."_ Tûgog explained.

Gorboglin took the message from Tûgog's towards him stretched arm, opened it and started to read it within his mind and with his eyes.

And after reading the message, Gorboglin took the message to the nearby iron cauldron where was burning the fire and threw the message into the gauldron, burning it into dust.

" _Hey! Your highness, I was supposed to deliver that information to my king in Gundabad. In it message was Nazihra's orders for my king at Gundabad that how to act to this threat._ " Tûgog complained as he witnessed Gorboglin burning Nazihra's message in front of his eyes.

His Fire-Drake growled threateningly at the goblin king, but Tûgog ordered his pet to stand down and let his master to handle this.

After burning the message, except the part in which was Nazihra's orders for the orc king of Gundabad, Gorboglin turned back to Tûgog.

"T _wo wretched men, one elf-filth, one dwarf-scum and two Shire rats forming the group called the Guardians of the Galaxy. Just_ t _wo wretched men, one elf-filth, one dwarf-scum and two Shire rats. I clearly don't see, Tûgog the Fire-Drake Tamer, that what kind of threat is such of small group of foolish wretched scum for us. They're just a insects out there, and we have three massive armies in here, in the Valley of Angmar and around of the Mount Gundabad. They will be destroyed along with the rest of these filthy lands._ " Gorboglin said, gesturing with his arm at the army around of fortress.

" _Besides, senting some boys to go out there to hunt this small group down in Gardolan, as especially from too close of that secret elven hideout, is only wasting the troops in order to find this pathetic group of insects... from which I don't see what I'll call the threat. And you said that they're heading towards that elven forest in the another side of the mountains to the south and are about to cross the mountains in the back of those Eagles of the mountains, didn't you? Well, I say that just let them go to their meeting point with their Eagle-friends and go to that forest. My invading forces of goblins, trolls, giant spiders and Nazihra's minion will take care of them for me and that will allow me to prepare for the Conquest of Eriador as Nazihra has ordered me to do... and that's what I'm going to do._ " Gorboglin added and was about to turn around and leave from the scene.

However, Tûgog wasn't going to give up about this so easily.

" _Of course, Nazihra ordered you to conquer the forest of the elves... but only to kidnap the she-elven princess of that secret elven hideout and bring her to the dungeon fortress in the mountains to be locked away forever... so that Nazihra can make the princess filthy father to not to assemble the army of the elves and greatly interfere your Conquest of Eriador. You know yourself how skilled and superior the elves actually are... especially the army of the goblins. Even one two hundred highly skilled elven swordsmen and spearmen can take down in the melee sword-fight ten_ _times more goblins than their own number, and two hundred highly skilled archers, in foot or in horseback, even more. That's why Nazihra ordered you to take over that elven forest and kidnap she-elven princess now when the elven-witch is not there to protect her homeland with her powers. However, this group of insects are sent to travel there in the backs of the Eagles of the mountains to save both the elven-princess and the elven forest from your invading forces. One of them happens to be the filthy blood of Númenor, who has in his possession the powerful-sounding elven powers. And even though i don't know how powerful he is, but against your invading forces in order to defent that golden forest, he might be as powerful ass that elven-witch of that forest._ " Tûgog said as he stood up...

...regaining Gorboglin's attention, though the goblin king did not stood up.

" _And I assume that you lust for revenge against those Shire rats for what they did to your father back then... but it_ _But it depends solely on whether the conquest of that elven forest, as well as the mission of to kidnap she-elven princess to be use as the hostage against her fiilthy father and all elves of Eriador, succeeds without interference. A_ _nd you shall have your revenge against the Shire rats, as soon as you obey Nazihra's orders to send the goblins hunters and scouts to the plains of Rhudaur, find themselves as the Guardians of the Middle-Earth claiming group heaving towards the mountains, AND HUNT THEM DOWN ONCE AND FOR ALL!_ " Tûgog said with the loud voice.

While listening the Gundabad orc messenger, the faces of the Goblin King hardened as he remembered his father getting killed back in the Battle of the Greenfields in the Shire by the halfling residents... and in his lust for avenge his father, Gorboglin desired to attack with the full force against that "filthy" farming land, kill every hobbit and have all their blood turned out for him to be drink and have the dead hobbits served to him as the food.

But the goblin king immediately turned around to face Tûgog once more after he raised his voice at him behind of his back and was like giving HIM the orders how to act, despite being just mere messenger.

The goblin king suddenly grabbed from the Gundabad messenger from his throat and roughly forced the orc on his knees.

And because of this, Tûgog's Fire-Drake bellowed at the goblin king aggressively for assaulting like that to his master, until it was halted back by the one hundred goblin halberdmen and one hundred goblin crossbowmen.

" _Are you giving me ORDERS, MESSENGER?!_ " Gorboglin snarled at Tûgog.

However, Tûgog did not showed any sign of fear before the goblin lord.

" _Only_ _suggesting you, dread lord of Ettenmoors. I see clearly that you're dying to wait the opportunity to slaughter every rat-like halfling of that wretched farming land... burn the alive... skin them alive... take their head sclaps as your trophy of your victory... eat their flesh... drink their blood... torture their children for your fun to death... burn their little holes, their forests, their houses, their farms to the ground. And that's what you shall, dread lord._ " Tûgog said.

" _But these... the Guardians of the Middle-Earth... are attempting_ _to prevent you from reaching the goal... by stopping your invading forces at that elven forests... rescue that she-elven princess... and ruin Nazihra's plans to use her as the hostage to prevent the elves of Eriador from assembling the elven army, which would be the biggest block for your conquest against the people's of Eriador... and for your revenge against the halflings._ "

" _So, if you want to... get your... revenge against the Shire-rats... without the elven-threat upon your forces... while you're marching to the west... with the armies of Valley of Angmar and Gundabad... to your victory, I suggest you to... to obey Nazihra's orders and... and sent the hunters and scouts... to stop the Guardians of the Middle-Earth... before they reach to the Misty Mountain's... lower hills and to their meeting point with... with the Eagles of the Mountains... while I return back to Gundabad to deliver the rest of the message to my king... so that he can... can unleash the winged... Fire-Drakes to guard the high tops... of the mountains... and block their cross... over the mountains... in the back of the eagles._ " Tûgog suggested.

" _Do we have accord?_ " Tûgog added.

The goblin lord stared at the fearless Gundabad orc with his glowing eyes, which were nearly sunk into the goblins hardened faces.

The goblin lord considered the idea of smashing the orc's head with the war hammer he carried in his belt under of his cape right here and right now... without care of his own safety in near of the orc's Fire-Drake pet, which would easily tear his goblins apart and burn him himself with the fire.

However, Gorboglin was one of the many of those hundreds high-ranked captains, warchiefs and the rulers of the places of darkness under the domination of the Dark Lord, were more than just willing to prove themselves to their dark masters and please them by eliminating the any possible threat against their masters... though rather using against the threats everything they got and claiming their enemies heads as their trophies from their own servants rather than handling their own dirty work by themselves...

...and all because of three things, reward, the high-ranked title called as the ultimate warchief-king and their master's favor.

And Gorboglin, as the greed and power-hungry goblin lord, wasn't the exception.

Gorboglin also considered that with obeying Nazihra's orders, he would kill three-four flies with one rock:

Eliminating these the Guardians of the Middle-Earth (first fly)...

...he would be able to kidnap she-elven princess and capture her to the dungeon fortress in the mountains as planned and along with that conquer the elven forest without the interferences of the Guardians (second fly)...

...and conquer the all men, elven, dwarven and hobbit lands of Eriador: The Shire, Breeland, Rhudaur, Cardolan, Minhiriath and Arthedain, the secret elven hiding spot near of the Misty Mountains, the elven city of Grey Havens, and the dwarves blue mountains under of the darkness (third fly)...

...and along with these, he would gain not only the high reward and the title of the warchief-king but also Nazihra's favor for himself.

So, the goblin lord decided to spare Tûgog's live - though he threw the Gundabad orc roughly to the ground - and decided to obey Nazihra's orders nonetheless.

" _Krûk!_ " Gorboglin suddenly called his captain of guard.

Krûk hurriedly rushed to his master's side to listen what his master wanted.

And one the Entry Blocker was right beside of him, the goblin lord took the business.

" _Send out our DIRE-BIRD riders! I want them all to be send immediately to surround the entire area of Rhudaur, from the northern border 'till the southern border. Order them to hunt down to the mountains heading insect group of four men, one she-elf, one dwar and two Shire rats. Tell them, that they have my permission to kill them once at sight, no prisoners... nor mercy!_ " Gorboglin ordered.

The Entry Blocker bowed to his lord and was about to turn around to deliver his master's orders forward, until Gorboglin suddenly grabbed from his shoulder, turned him around and pulled him back to him, because he had something else to say.

" _And I also want the large group of the goblin crossbowmen in the backs of the Saber-Tooth-Beasts - accompanied by the giant mountain apes with the giant crossbows on their backs - to be sended to the mountains for ambush against these insects if they reach to their meeting point wit hthe Eagles of the Mountains. Tell them to follow Gundabad's winged Fire-Drakes. They will lead you to our targets. And once you have caught the Eagles trying to cross the mountains and carrying on their backs these same insects, eliminate everyone from the sky!_ " Gorboglin added, but this time by whispering with the low voice, which was just like he did not want the Fire-Drake Tamer to overher this.

Viciously chuckling, Krûk nodded to his king, turned around and disappeared from the rooftop into the tunnels darkness to carry out his king's orders.

It took at least half an hour...

...during of which Tûgog departed from the fortress in the back of his Fire-Drake and flew to the north, after having probably interpreted Gorboglin's orders to send the Dire-Bird riders to hunt down this group of insects as consensus with Nazihra's orders and Gorboglin retreated from the fortress' rooftop to his balcony to witness that what was coming...

...until the fortress vicious mouth-looking gateway's fanged gates were slowly opened to unleash something from inside.

And after the gates were finally opened...

...and after the awkwardly quiet and tensed moment...

...from the gates out of the sinister fortress charged with the high speed the huge flock of the deafening loud and sharp screams screaming monstrous Dire-Birds, in the backs of each one of these monstrous birds was sitting one a bit less than human-sized goblin rider.

These goblins, however, had dressed like Nazgûl does.

They wore over them the brown and tattered hooded cloaks with the wide tattered hems and wide sleeves, but these riders did not wore on them the chest-armor and the wrist-guards like the Nazgûl does.

Instead of the chest-armors and the wrist-guards, they had the black helmets upon their hooded heads with the face-guards, which resembled the vicious- and monstrous-looking skulls of the monsters, with their mouths full of the sharp pointed fangs opened to wide like to roar, two long and downwards curved black horns in the sides of the helmets and with downwards directing flames-resembling spikes emerging from the head area of the helmet, resembling the flaming manes.

In fact, these spiky and monstrous-looking helmets resembled greatly with their fanged mouths, horned heads and the flaming manes the monstrous heads of the Balrog of Morgoth itself!

These sinister riders held in their goblin-hands the long bows and in their back was hanging the quivers made out of the leather and coated with the thick warg fur, and they were filled with the long and black goblin arrows. Some of them had as their weapons the long and throwing vicious-bladed javelins, holding one of them in their hands as their primary weapons and keeping three-four more in the javelin quivers in their backs. These goblins also had as their primary weapons the twin-bladed swords with the short and curved blades, and which handles resembled the handles of the Moria Goblins' swords.

Gorboglin witnessed from his balcony, with the vicious yet proud grin on his goblin face, as this vicious flock of monstrous birds with their sinister-looking riders were unleashed from the fortress to ride through of the fortress surrounding shack-town's main road towards the town's gates to hunt the Guardians of the Middle-Earth.

And his evil subjects gathered from all around of the shack-town to the main road to witness the Dire-Birds riders depart from the fortress to the mission tasked to them by their dread king of Ettenmoors.

The goblin herds started to shout the encouraging and yet bloodthristy shouts at the Dire-Bird riders, who in response lifted their javelins, bows and swords holding hands and their weapons with them above of their heads, causing the goblins noisy screaming to get even more louder.

It did not took long when the Dire-Horse riders emerged out through of the fortress surrounding shack-town's bordering wall's opened gates and headed towards the exit of the valley, heading towards the plains of Rhudaur to hunt down their prey.

And even though the flok had already exited from the town, Gorboglin still kept following with his eyes over his own goblin-town's rooftops, towers and the entire town bordering stone-wall the flock of monstrous birds and Dire-Bird riders disappearing from the sight to behind of the corner of the mountain pass.

And after they were out of his sight, the goblin lord was about to turn around and leave from the balcony by entering back to inside of the dark tunnels to continue his own with Tûgog's arrival disturbed business... until he turned one last time to peek over his shoulder at the going direction of recently departed Dire-Bird flock.

" _Bring to me their heads!_ " The goblin lord snarled before he completely disappeared into the darkness of his fortress.

 **To be continued...**

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 **My apologies for** **for writing of this chapter lasting so long, but it's not easy to try to write ten fanfictions at the same time.**

 **I hope that all of you who read this story enjoyed this chapter...**


	6. Chap6: Travel to the Mountains

**Hi guys. I'm back once again!**

 **Time to continue with Guardians of the Middle-Earth, and this time on the path of our heroes.**

 **My apologies if it takes so long with writing these chapters, but there's a bit many other fanfictions to be written and I go through multiple ideas of my the Guardians of the Middle-Earth story's chapters and their plots.**

 **Enjoy reading and review.**

* * *

GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH  
CHAPTER 6: TRAVEL TO THE MOUNTAINS.

In the next morning, The Guardians of the Middle-Earth, Evidin, Elegrant, Groff, Felenar and the hobbits Hustlin and Nicholas departed from the Town of Bree and had started their long travel towards the Misty Mountain by travelling along the Great East Road.

They had worked to get everything ready nearly the entire night nearly without any moment of sleep, so that everything was ready until the morning. That's why the hobbits Hustlin and Nicholas were quite sleepy, and thus they were allowed to sleep the rest of the night in the waggons, whose loan they had received permission from Dûnedain brothers Veradan and Maradan, as well as the permission to loan a few horses to pull them.

And with the permission to borrow their waggons and horses, both Veradan and Maradan had agreed to guide them to the Misty Mountains.

And even though Evidin did not yet told to them about their journey's real purposes nor about their meeting with the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains once they reach to the Mountains, due to in order to keep their journey's purposes in secret away from the possible spies among the people of Bree...

...but Evidin had at least revealed to them, that they're gonna separate from them to the different direction once they reach to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and that Elegrant's horse was unable to continue with them thereafter.

And after asking his fellow Dûnedain rangers to take care of Elegrant's mount until their return to Town of Bree, both Veradan and Maradan had agreed to take Elegrant's horse under of their care and protection, while Hazelmane's owner is with his companions on their journey over the Misty Mountains in the Eagles back.

They had also loaded the waggons with all those food, water and other necessary supplies like cooking utensils, which Felenar and the hobbits have been buying from the Town of Bree's stores and everything enough for them to carry on their backpacks once it is time for them to leave the waggons and horses behind and cross the Mountains in the Eagles backs.

During of the preparations, Groff had been buying for them some extra weapons.

He had been buying for the hobbits the long-bladed daggers so that they can defend themselves in the serious situation, but because of the hobbits having not yet experience wielding the daggers and knowledge of using them, Groff kept for now under his possession.

Groff had been buying also some hunting weapons, like hunting bows and arrows, if they needed to stop to hunt something for food.

And, even though Groff was one of those many dwarves in all the Middle-Earth, who favored the battle-ax as his primary weapon, Groff had nonetheless bought from in the Town of Bree visiting fellow dwarven huckster the dwarven faces resembling dwarven shield and couple of the dwarven swords with a long and narrow triangle-shaped blade.

Groff's father, who had unfortunately perished in the Battle of the Five Armies, slain by the heavily armored goblin soldier by heheading him with the large goblin scimitar, had trained his son in addition of the the ax to use the sword and to fight in the close combat with the sword and shield.

And because of that, he bought the dwarven-face shaped shield and couple of dwarven swords to honor his fallen father's efforts in training him to use the swords and just in case if he really needed them, though Groff favored more his battle-ax over the swords as his primary weapon.

And once everything was loaded to the waggon, the horses harnessed and everything seemed to be ready... the departed from the Bree.

The brothers Veradan and Maradan steered the waggons while Evidin, Felenar and Elegrant riding on the backs of from the Dûnedain brothers borrowed horses - and Elegrant was riding on the back of Hazelmane - on either side of the waggon.

Groff and the hobbits were sitting on the waggons instead on the backs of the horses, as Croff did not favor riding on the back of the large horse and the hobbits were too small to ride on their own on the backs of the horses... and yet there was not ponies right now in the Town of Bree.

Both Veradan and Maradan apologized from the hobbits this while allowing the Guardians of the Middle-Earth to borrow their horses.

And after riding out of the gates of Bree, they headed to the Great East Road.

At first once they reached to the Road, they had to follow it far to the east to get to the Mountains.

They travelled at least two days without any kind troubles on their way, until they reached to the southern end of the Weater Hills and there still standing ruined and ancient watch tower of the Weathertop, which was destroyed in the war against Angmar and since its fall, it has been remained abandoned.

And as the night was starting to fall upon of them and knowing that most of the bandits and orcs would be on the move at nighttime, they decided to stop temporarily there to let the horses rest and have some eat.

They made the temporary campfire to the feet of the hill and allowed the horses to eat some grass while they were making the changes and additions to their travel plans.

Felenar had climbed by Evidin's request to the Weathertop's ruined watch tower to keep watch, in case of any party of rogue orcs or other human bandits... or in case of the enemy's own spies, such like the birds or bats.

Even the darkness of the night did not bothered the elf's elven-eyes accurate eyesight, thanks to the bright moon, which freely shoot its beams of light through of the cloudless night sky, illuminating the whole area around of the hill... enabling her to see far, and clearly.

And to spend her time in the watch, Felenar sang a few songs in her natural elven language, allowing the peaceful night wind to take her songs words with it, and allowing the words of her song to echo in the air with the wind.

And though Felenar seemed to stand in the relaxed position, she kept all her senses in full alert, because, according to rumors of the travelers, several evil creatures and the men serving the evil - either as spies, mercenaries or mere bandits - has been spotted being wandering in the easters wilderness of Eriador, always from the Misty Mountains until the Weather Hills, within a few last months.

This is why Felenar was far from being sleepy, and that she needed to be in awake and alert in case of anythuing which seemed to be threat, and that she would warn her travel companions about the any possible danger before they would insidiously engage them.

Elegrant was meanwhile with his mount Hazelmane and watching after the other horses as they were enjoying their rest and eating the grass.

Because knowing that they would reach to the Mountains within six days, Elegrant wanted to spend most of the time with his horse until they got separated once they reach to their meeting spot with the Great Eagles.

And Veradan was keeping to them both a company.

"I heard from Evidin that you're worried about your horse. What is his name?" Veradan asked, as he calmly and respectfully approached the man of Gondor and his gondorian horse.

"His name is Hazelmane. And I've raised him from the foal like my own son." Elegrant said.

"And yes, I'm worried about his safety and well-being." Elegrant admited.

"Because our urgency to get to the meeting post with the Great Eagles and get on their back to another side of the Misty Mountains as fast as we can, the knowledge that I will soon departe from it for a while, long while, makes me nearly unable to sleep. And yet because of our urgency, we're unable to circulate through of the Cap of Rohan and out of the question that one of those giant birds would carry my horse in its claws! My horse would get hurt from their claws or get even accidentally dropped down." Elegrant explained, openly showing his concern over his horse but also trying to not insult the Great Eagles behind of their backs.

Veradan was impressed of Elegrant's love towards his horse.

"And yet you are from Gondor, though you got the same bond and love between of Rohan's riders and their horses." Veradan stated.

"Actually, my father was one of Rohirrim and my mother was from Gondor. My father teached me about the bond of love and respect between of the men of Rohan and their horses."

"And following the ways of Rohan in raising and taking care of the horses, I spend most of my life with Hazelmane, who happens to be one of the Rohan horses. He sees me as his brother and he has saved my life many times over, as well as I have." Elegrant said, patting brotherly Hazelmane to his side.

Veradan smiled at this knowledge.

With the respect and caution - knowing that the horses of Rohan rarely lets the strangers to get near of themselves - Veradan raised slowly his hand and pressed it gently against Hazelmane's neck, and gently stroke his neck.

Hazelmane did not either care of that, either due to his focus on eating the grass, or then he did not bother the stranger touching him.

Hazelmane's calm and not bothered behavior while allowing Veradan to touch and stroke him visibly ammazed Elegrant, because usually, and as Hazelmane's master and brother-figure, he's the only one from any gondorian or stranger who is able to go this close of Hazelmane and even touch him.

"That's weird, because usually Hazelmane does not allow the strangers to approach himself, and less to even touch him." Elegrant said.

However, one thing what Elegrant failed to see, was that Veradan was mumbling something while carefully, gently and with respect touching and stroking Hazelmane's neck. In fact, Veradan had silently whispered the calming elvish words to the direction of Hazelmane's right ear.

"It's not a quite wonder, Elegrant of Gondor. This is not the first time I'm either handling or standing close of the horses of Rohan, though rarely the riders of Rohan even visits in the Eriador. But when they do and stop fpor the night in the town of Bree, they always turns to me and my brother Maradan, requesting us to take care of them while they stay for the night or two. And in case of the horses of Rohan, because they rarely or not at all allow the strangers to get close of themselves, we do our best to treat them with both gentleness, humility, respect and even protective love, to earn their trust. Once we have earned their trust, they allow us to touch them with the gentle care." Veradan explained.

"But I think that I know the reason why... Hazelmane... does not consider me as a stranger and a threat." Veradan stated.

"Probably, during of my time taking care of the horses of Rohan, I must have received their scent to my clothes. And despite Hazelmane speding most of his life in Gondor instead of Rohan, he might still remember the scent of the horses of Rohan, and considers me as friend."

"Or, as the member of Dûnedain and the friends with the elves, I'm using my knowledge about the elvish language to keep the horse calmed... and usually, it's enough to gain their trust and allowing us to take care of them with the same love like the riders of Rohan shows to them." Veradan added.

Elegrant was taken aback of this ability of the men of Dûnedain as the elf-friends...

...even though he himself did not much favored the elven habits, and was a bit distrustful towards them due to their magical powers, especially now when they were heading towards the forest, where according to many stories the powerful lady Galadriel, labelled as the Elf-Witch of the enchanted elven-forest among of gondorians, lived and ruled...

...and mostly due to him belonging to the men of Gondor, where was more than just enough of those, who had become distrustful towards the elves, especially the lady Galadriel, of Lóthlorien.

Elegrant had also noticed that Felenar, who was as an wood elf from the Forest in question, sensed clearly his distrust towards her, her people and the Lady of Light of Lóthlorien, and took it as an offence.

Meanwhile...

Groff witnessed Elegrant's and Veradan's common talking about the bonds between of the man and horse, while the dwarf was sitting nearby of the campfire, as he was tasked by Evidin to watch over the sleeping hobbits next to him, as well as their travel goods through of their temporary break, while he was smoking a pipe.

Usually, Groff could care less about the horses or about taking care of them, and he would have rather just ignore everything Elegrant and Veradan were talking about and focus more to guard their travel goods and the sleeping hobbits...

...but, the dwarf's sarcastic side was too overwhelming.

"Or probably that nag considers you two as its fellow horses because you two smells as horses! Hahahahahahahaa!" Groff laughed heartily to his joke.

Both Elegrant and Veradan did not took this insult-like joke well...

...and neither did Hazelmane.

And as a small payback for the dwarf for his insulting joke, Hazelmane then recoiled one of his hind legs together, before he straightened his hind leg and kicked with it in the arch to backwards, pouring some mud from the ground and kicking it towards Groff.

The mub ball caught Groff completely off guard as the ball hit him straight in the middle of his faces.

This got both Elegrant and Veradan to laugh. Even Hazelmane neighed like with laughing tone at the mud-faced dwarf.

Even the hobbits under of their slumber, where giggling at this through they apparently did not even saw that what just happened.

With the mumbling the foul words out of his mouth, Groff wiped the mud out of his faces and from his beard with his free hand.

Though he got most of the mud off his face, his beard still had even more, and yet his traveling outfit had some muddy spots.

"Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" From the muddy surprise angered dwarf cursed at Elegrant, Veradan and Hazelmane.

Meanwhile.

Evidin and Maradan were standing a bit away from the others, so that they could speak to each others two alone about their trabeling plans to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and then over the mountains.

During of their talk, Evidin had revealed to Maradan their journey's real purposes and their headings, as well as their extreme urgency to get to their meeting spot with the Great Eagles and cross the Misty Mountains from above, and then reach to the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien to warn its elven people about incoming massive goblin attack from the Montains with hundred on one force. It was more safe to reveal it in the middle of nowhere than directly back in the Town of Bree full of the unfriendly ears. Evidin also revealed to Maradan about very soon incoming massive goblin invasion from the Valley of Angmar, Hills of the Ettenmoors and from the Mount Gundabad against the Free peoples of Eriador, especially against the hobbits of the Shire.

And because Maradan was good friends with the young captain of Dûnedain Halbarad, Evidin told to Maradan that once their paths departs on the lower hills of the Misty Mountains, Evidin he wanted Maradan to report about these news to Halbarad and ask him to gather all Dûnedain rangers around of the borders of Shire together and spread the word - and especially the immediate call to arms - to every human and their allies settlements, city and villages all over Eriador. Because in this case, they were gonna need all what they have against the upcoming massive darkness and invasion... even the help from Ered Luin's dwarves and the Gray Havens elves.

Maradan considered a bit everything he had heard about Evidin telling him about their journey along the Great East Road, and pass on their way the Last Bridge, the Trollshaw forest and the secret Valley of Imladris before they reach to the lower hills within six days.

"You have the long way to go, Evidin. Are you sure that you're not going to stop on Rivendell on your journey to the mountains?" Maradan asked, interested of his fellow Dûnedain ranger's journey through the eastern wilderness of Eriador, over the Misty Mountains and then head their way to the south and towards the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien.

Evidin shook his head as negative response to his long-time friend.

"No, Maradan. We will continue our journey along the Great East Road night and day. We have no time to stop nearly in anywhere on our way."

However, Maradan was silently against the entire idea to travel to the lower hill of the Misty Mountains day night.

"I understand your urgency to get in time to Lóthlorien, Evidin. But you can't travel six days without eating, resting or sleeping. The wood elves of Lóthlorien does not have use from you six as half-dead from a long and harsh journey." Maradan said, openly showing his concern for his fellow Dûnedain ranger, even though he had his from the elves learned magical powers with him.

"I appreciate your care, Maradan. But we cannot waste much time. We actually do not know where exactly that goblin army is right about now. But don't worry about beung useless as half-dead to the elves during of their upcoming darkest hour. I'm not intenting to drive my new friends to travel without food or rest the entire way, day and night, until we reach to Lóthlorien." Evidin explained.

"We only stop but just temporarily at night times, though I know the risks of stopping in middle of the wilderness at night time. The ricks such like the possible night raid of the orcs, bandits, wolves and who knows what else." Evidin said.

"And that's what I'm worried about, Evidin, and I am not talking merely about the group of bandits, either orcs/goblins or humans." Maradan said sternly.

"You know too well that the enemy has many spies in many different forms all around or among of us. And I'm not talking merely about the human spies blended among of the people around of us, like what most likely back in the Town of Bree everyday. But I'm also talking about..." Maradan said, until he was interrupted by Evidin, who continued for him.

"...the animals, such like the birds, more likely crows, bats, rats, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, weasels, wolves, deers and so on, whose minds has been blinded by the dark magic and they are then used as the spies of evil, using their innocent-like forms as the cover and their size as their advantage to spy us undetected. I'm more than just aware of that, Maradan, because thanks to my magically gained elven senses, I've been able to sense the evil dwelling in these poor creatures minds, and I've always ended up to catch them and expel the evil out of them with my magic." Evidin said.

"I know that this might sound foolish to the other people, but not to the people of Dûnedain due to us being the friends of the elves and the wizards, and having learned a thing or two about their magic and medical treatment of both the elves and wizards along with the elven language, I once caught one fox, which eyes were unnaturally dark and it acted like deranged and cornered animal, but far more likely like any orc in attempt to bite its victim in the fight. I barely managed to calm down the poor suffering animal with my elvish, so that I was able to suck the dark magic our of the poor animal, freeing its mind, and imprison the dark magic into one of my magical stones." Evidin explained.

Maradan was quite impressed that Evidin was one of the very few person among the mortal humans, to whom had been taught the magic and the magical medical treatment by the elves and even the wizard themselves.

Maradan remembered that the last time he had met Evidin, he was back then still mere mortal human ranger, who was extremely skilled in tracking, hunting, archery and swordsmanship... but without any such of elven and wizard's magical powers than right now.

Now, despite being still mortal human, Evidin was now like half-man of Dûnedain, half-elf and half-wizard due to his magical powers.

However, Maradan was still quite impressed of Evidin's explanation to magically curing with the dark witchcraft enslaved fox.

"Well, that might have been easy with the fox, but what about the rats, bats and crows? At least I know, that they're far more annoying of all the animal spies the enemy has. they are small, dark in color of their fur and feathers and well into the darkness blending. And due to that, they're nearly undetected and insidious." Maradan reminded.

"With the exception of the night times, the flock of crow spies are easily to be spotted in the day light and they cannot sneak into the houses to eavesdrop, unless the windows and doors aren't closed. But the rats are far more worse that crows, due to their small size, enabling them to fit/hide themselves into the narrow places to eavesdrop a important conversation. What do you say about that, Evidin?"

Evidin shook his head.

Evidin could not believe how pessimistic Maradan could be, even though he was older and a bit more responsible than his brother Veradan, even though Veradan also possessed the sense of responsibility, especially over the horses under his and his big brother's care.

Suddenly, there was the sound in the air, which souded like some kind of notorious squawk...

"And speaking of the animal spies." Maradan said.

Suddenly, Felenar slipped down along the hill's side to its feet, with the extreme urgency in her eyes and faces, like she had spotted something very bad coming right towards them and rushed with hurry to warn the others.

"Cwildred! Bats! Gundabad Bats incoming from the north! Swarming against the night sky like the dark thundercloud, covering the light of the moon! They will be here within five minutes!" Felenar warned with the urgent tone.

"QUICK! EVERYBODY! HIDE!" Evidin shouted.

Without wasting any second, everybody took action.

Elegrant, Veradan and Maradan started immediately to direct their horses towards the cave under if the hill, which was covered by the bushes.

Felenar rushed immediately to wake the hobbits.

However, the awakening of the hobbits produced some difficulties, because both of them were largely still sleepy...

...and from two of them, Hustlin was immediately stubbornly against waking up, claiming that he had not sleep but a one hour though the break in their journey was supposed to last three hours before continuing their journey to the mountains...

...and Nicholas was as well against the sudden waking up, but started even yet demand something to eat as the night snack.

This caused Felenar to sigh in frustration, even though she was usually calm elf, who resisted perfectly such of outbursts like the frustration, and continued with hurry trying to get the sleepy hobbits to both awake and get up.

Evidin quickly rushed to their campfire and kicked the sand to the campfire to kill the fire, and to cover any smoking spot to cover the smoke and to prevent the bats noticing even a single small cloud of smoke.

Meanwhile, Groff immediately quit smoking his pipe after hearing Felenar's warning shout and Evidin's order to hide from incoming spies...

...and helped Evidin to gather all their stuff to the waggons and after that, with the help of Veradan and Maradan, they pushed them to the cave.

After their goods, waggons and horses were safe, they retreated all into the cave and hidded themselves either deeper into the cave or under of the bushes.

However, Felenar and the hobbits were unintentionally left behind.

Waking the sleepy hobbits took time, which took from them and Felenar their opportunity to get to hide with the others.

And the bats were close... really close.

They started to swarm above of the Weathertop's ruined watchtower... leaving no time for Felenar and the hobbits to get into the cave and out of the bats eyes.

However, Felenar had saw the perfect hiding spot from the nearby bush.

"Hustlin! Nicholas! To the bush! Now!" Felenar hurriedly and with the loud whispering tone rushed the hobbits.

After seeing the threatening figures of the giant bats appearing in the bright night sky above of the ruins of the ancient watchtower, the hobbits hurriendly climbed on their feets, gathered their hobbit-made pillows and blankets and hurriend to the bush, which Felenar pointed with her finger.

The bush was half-dead and there was not enough of leaves to cover them nor Felenar from the bats eyes...

...meaning that they were like in the silver plate for the bats.

However, Felenar had the backup plan already planned to hide themselves away from the bats.

"Don't be afraid, little hobbits, I have a plan to hide us from them. Get under of me and stay quiet!" Felenar said, as her tone of voice turned from the gentle and comforting to the stren and demanding... probably Felenar knew that the silence or stealth was not these two's strongest points.

There was no need to tell to the hobbits twice, as they hurriedly crawled and then curled together beneath of the elf, as Felenar unwrapped her long cape hanging wrapped from her back and wrapped it over herself and the hobbits.

Felenar managed to wrap all of them three under of her cape, as Gundabad bats - both the regular sized ones and the regular eagle-sized ones - arrived to the scene and filled the entire air space around of the entire watchtower.

And, once wrapped over her and the hobbits, Felenar's elven cape resembled by its appearance and large sack filled with one elf and two hobbits, who did their best to stay still and not to make any sudden move.

The both hobbits under of Felenar's own body and her cape received the chills as they heard the bats sharp squeaks as they flew in a huge swarms over their hiding place in the bushes.

Felenar also forbid the hobbits from looking outside of the cape, because some of the bats, judging from the bats sharp, the various levels of the heighs of thhe squeaks and the distances from them, some of the bats, were even flying very close of the ground.

Trying to peek from under of the cape's edge would only increase the risk to be detected by the bats, even without them noticing it.

However, Felenar was the one peeked from under of her cape instead of the hobbits.

Felenar also formed from the skirt of her cape as a wide hood over her head to cover her faces from the sight, as she carefully peeked into outside to see that what was happening.

at some point she had to grab from the edges of her hood and wrap them together to cover her faces, if the bats were flying in the level of her head or too close of her faces... leaving only narrow gap between of her hood's edges... so that she was even able to see out with one of her eyes from the hide.

Some of the bats even clawed with their hind legs claws the bushes from the above, shaking off some leaves from the bushes branches while trying to find the possible people in hiding.

And the those ones in te cave.

In the dead end of the cave, Veradan and Maradan did their best to keep their horses and Hazelmane under control and silent, though the horses felt stressed and uncomfortable with the air full of the thousands of sharp squeaks of the massive swarm of bats.

Elegrant, Evidin and Groff, keeping their weapons ready, kept watch in the hide in the bushes in the cave's entrace, and they were ready to shoot down any bat, who dared to even enter to the cave... even with the risk that it could catch the attention of the entire swarm.

As a sorcerer, Evidin would not have any problem to deal with his magic the entire swarm of the bats...

...but his companions, including Felenar and the hobbits in the bushes and under of Felenar's cape, would be more than at risk. Because once their presence is spotted by the bats, they would be immediately swarming around of them, thus causin gthem to be in the fireline and making Evidin unable to use his magic to deal all the bats at once.

While carefully and silently, Evidin spotted that among of Gundabad bats was also those much bigger and even muscular yet slender black or dark-brown furred bats, whose resembled by their appearance partially humans... as they had the humanoid-like slender bodies, human-like clawed hands in their wide wings, and they had the human faces, but with many features from the faces of the vampire bat's faces, such like their blunt muzzles, black eyes and sharp fangs, in middle of two wide bat-ears.

Elegrant immediately recognized that what these filthy beasts were.

Manbats, hideous crossbreed of humans and vampire bats!

Some of them landed against the nearby tree's trunks with their claws, which without the difficulty sliced the trunk's wood like the knife the meat, leaving the extreme nasty-looking clawmarks on the trees.

Some of them even grabbed with their hind-legs claws the bushes off the ground to find anyone who was possibly hiding among the bushes and some of them, the strongest ones, were cabable to even lift the logs off the ground... to check that was anybody hiding from them beneath of the logs themselves or in the pit under of the logs.

Groff peeked from the bush to eye these bat monsters himself.

"Our enemy really knows how to create such an unspeakably ugly things." Groff whispered with the disgust.

Elegrant also peeked from the bushes to follow with his eyes the bats.

"Especially the ones with the human mind and the stubborness to believe what their own to the darkness accustomed eyes see... that there is nobody here in seen nor even hiding from them." Elegrant said.

"SHHH! Quiet you two, before you reveal ourself to them!" Evidin whispered sternly.

However, they were eventually forced to hide again as one of the flocks passed the bushes they were hiding right front of their noses...

...and during of this flock's passing their hiding spot, one of the manbats, the brown-furred, large and slender one, landed right next to the bush.

The bat monster let out the loud, deafening and extremely sharp squeak, which sent some shivers to ran along Groff's, Elegrant's, Veradan's and Maradan's backs and nearly deafened their ears.

As well as it did to Felenar and the hobbits under of Felenar's elven cape.

However the manbat's squeak seemed no have any kind of affect to Evidin... probably due to his elven magic or then it was that Evidin had used to it.

Which was partially true, because Evidin had years ago faced those manbats many times over, especially being near of the Mountains of Angmar, where those hideous bat monsters dwelled in the huge dark caves under of the evil witch-realm's mountains.

And back then, Evidin had learned much from these manbats and their hunting habits from his many encounters with these monsters.

They usually hunted at the nighttime, good for them due to their black fur, which helped them to blend into the darkness of night... and yet these bat monsters had very excellent night vision and sensitive sense of smell, which they used to locate their prey from the ground.

By following their hunting habits from the safe distance, Evidin had noticed that their loud and extreme sharp squeak was enough to paralyze their victims by fear, similiarty to Nazgúl's screaming.

And when they attack... they attack from above, under of the darkness, quickly, unexpectedly, without even a sound... and before their victim even knows, the batmen are immediately upon them, with their long fangs sunk to their necks in the deadly bite.

Suddenly... all those in the cavem faced the side effect of the bat monster's squeak.

The manbat's sharp squeak also caused almost the horses and Hazelmane in the cave to get out of Veradan's and Maradan's control...

...and each of them was about to let out the loud whinny, which threatened to reveal their presence to the bats and manbats.

The horses let out the small and a bit less than medium-hard neighs out of the fear and panic, which silently echoed in the cave's air space...

And they probably caused the some regular-sized bats within the seconds to swarm around of the cave's entrance, like they had just heard even silently echoed neighs of the horses hiding in the cave.

"By Durin's beard! Can somebody PLEASE silent those stupid nags?!" Groff snorted in annoyance that the horses were about to reveal their presence to the bats and the bat monsters.

Nearly uncontrollable situation in the backside of the cave with the horses forced Veradan and Maradan to double their efforts in order ot keep the horses calmed down and silent long enough...

...until the bats would eventually lose their ínterest of what they heard from the location of the cave's entrance, of which they did not saw, due to the large bushes and two medium-sized trees, which covered the entrance of the cave from upside with their branches filled with the green leaved, which were nearly in touching contact with the upside of the bushes.

Also Elegrant rushed out of the bush to Veradan's and Maradan's eaid to calm down the horses, especially to calm down a bit panicking Hazelmane, who was along with the other horses in the small state of panic.

"Silent them quickly! Before we're about to have the entire flock in entrace of this cave!" Evidin demanded sternly.

Veradan, Maradan and Elegrant did their best to calm down the hoprses, which were in their near panic state in the verge of being out of control.

However, after five-ten minutes, Veradan, Maradan and Elegrant finally, and quite narrowly due to the small neighs from their horses, managed to get Hazelmane and the rest of the horses back under control and calmed down... preventing them timely from revealing their presence to the bats by loudly whinning in fear and panic.

Elegrant pulled the small part of the bush out of his view to see that what was happening in the outside of the cave and the bush he was hiding with Groff.

The bat monster squeaked one more time... but this time more calmly and rather out of curiousness.

The manbat then started to sniff the air around of it.

As mentioned earlier, these bat monsters had the exellent sense of smell, especially then when they're hunting for their next prey every night.

The manbat kept sniffing the air, until it started to lick its lips with its tongue that the lots of drool dropped from the bat monster's lips, as it let out the another squeak, this time with the tone, which told to Evidin that the bat was hungry.

"Oh, no!" Evidin whispered, knowing that the manbat usually feasted with the fresh blood.

And fresh plus warm blood happened to be the only one thing how these bat monsters tracks down their prey. They were not interested of the flesh, and they usually leave dry corpses behind as soon as they have drunk all their blood out of them.

The manbat started to sniff the air even more, driven by its uncontrollable eagerness, greed and lust for blood, in order to find the source of the scent,

Knowing that the manbat will soon find them, Evidin pulled slowly his sword - which was two-handed sword, in which had númenorean-made handle, and elven-made leaf-shaped long blade - out of his scabbard ready for the fight...

...and he at the same time murmured silently something ancient and magical words, which caused two of his staff's magical gemstones - alongside with the white one - to turn into white, after which they started slightly glow ther white light.

Evidin knew these bats the most effective weakness, whuch happened to be the same weakness of the regular orcs and goblins, most of the trolls and in the darkness living giant spiders and regular vampire bats... the light.

The bright light was the greatest weakness of all those creatures, whose had been bred in the darkness.

Evidin had once used his staff's magical light to expel the whole gigantic flock of manbats, when they were about to attack him all together.

And since then, while most of the manbat had learned to avoid him with his staff, some of them still dared to try their luck to get to him with their claws and fangs... only ending up to get killed from Evidin's sword.

While Groff himself prepared his dwarven crossbow ready to fire the bolt to the bat monster's faces right after it pushes its "ugly" head into the bush.

"I hate bats! Flying winged rats, all of them! And I hate rats too!" Groff complained silently yet angrily and with disgust... until Evidin silently calmed him down.

Evidin knew that killing even one member of the flock of the manbat was the high risk to get spotted by the rest of the manbats, because it was hard to kill off the entire flock of the bats... and not to mention about the regular eagle-sized Gundabad bats and the regular-sized bats, of which was a lot more here than manbats.

However, once Evidin decided to carefully peek out of the bush, he noticed that none esle from the flocks of regular-sized bats and Gundabad's regular eagle-sized bats, and even none from this individual's own flock, didn't seem to be interested of what this one was after right now.

They had probably lost their interest - or they had all come to the conclusion that no one in present - and had decided to move on.

And only one manbat seemed to remain behind while the rest of them took off up to the sky after the rest of the flock.

The bat monster kept sniffing the air after the source of the fresh blood...

...until it started slowly but certainly to approach the bushes where Evidin and Groff were hiding.

And the bat monster increased its speed as it followed the scent of the fresh blood.

And when the bat monster was coming closer and closer, Evidin and Groff prepared to slay the monster.

"That's it. C'mon, boy. C'mon, boy. Come to Groff-papa. Come to have a tasteful bolt. C'mon youuuu... big filthy hairball!" Groff whispered out of pleasure for the chance to kill once more the evil foul things.

After following the scent to the next of the bush, the manbat remained to stand in the next to the bush...

...but though the bat monster tried to follow the scent of the fresh blood, it was somehow unable to locate the source of the scent of the fresh blood... in the form of man and dwarf hiding in the bush right next to it...

...and thus it did not pushed its head inside, like Groff had hoped, which could have facilitated his kill from the hiding, and was like about to turn to the another direction... much to the dwarf's frustration and impatience, because as an hater of the bats, especially those who served the Evil One(s), he wanted to kill that monster right now...

...even at the risk of revealing himself to it and causin gthe monster to release a load squeak to call the rest of its flock to help it...

...or to report about their presence to their evil masters.

And it was then, when one of the nervous horses in the backside of the cave, despite Elegrant's, Veradan's and Maradan's best efforts to keep the horses calm and quiet, let out the whinny, which slightly echoed in the cave's air space and floated in the air from the backside of the cave to its bush-covered entrance...

...and the horse's whinny echoed that loud that even Felenar and the hobbits under of around of them wrapped elven cape were able to hear it.

And as did the bat monster, as its head suddenly jumped up, as well as its ears after hearing the horse whinning very nearby...

...and turned its attention to the direction from where the whinny came from, and this time, the bat monster quit from using its sense of smell to track down the source of fresh blood and started instead to use its sense of hearing to locate the source of the whinny.

Groff snorted in frustration.

"Stupid nags, by Durin's beard!" Groff whispered out of deep frustration and annoyance that

And in the verge of his own impatience, and not caring about the consequences - though he was silently surprised that Evidin wasn't even trying to stop him from doing any reckless moves - the dwarf nearly jumped out of the bush to make the clear and lethal shot against the bat monster.

However, Groff knew that if he wanted to have the clear and lethal shot, he needed to get close enough to the bat mpnster to make his instantly killing shot... even though it requires accuracy and more patience, what the dwarves usually lacks.

However, having learned to use and having shot with the crossbow a numerous accurate shots, each shot's bolt ending up hit directly to their targets, Groff had become among of the few bow-weapons using dwarves one of the best dwarf-sniper among his own kind.

But despite this, Groff needed to get close enough to have the clear shot, because the manbats happened to be really and annoyingly fast enough to dodge lone arrows and bolts, but only if they were scattered and far away from the bowmen.

But in the case of the large volley of arrows fired upon them, there was not enough of time for them to dodge them all.

And so, Groff started to sneak towards not a thing suspecting bat monster, but intentionally shaking the bush's leaves on his way towards the bat monster... so that he would draw the manbat's attention from catching any kind of sounds coming from the horses in the cave to himself in the bush.

This worked... and the manbat quickly turned both its head and attention to the sound of the shaking leaves of the bush.

And once the bat monster's attention was completely in him, Groff aimed his crossbow and the bolt in it at the beast monsters faces, as it was looking directly at him, but remained unaware of the dwarf's presence.

While aiming at the bat's faces, Groff eyes them himself as well.

"You got a really ugly face, you filthy fella." Groff whispered and began to look the good opportunity to fire the bolt throiugh of the bat monster's eye.

The bat monster apparently caught with its sensitive sense of hearing the dwarf's throaty whispering voice, maybe even the bat monster even managed to located the source of Groff's whispers, and snarled at his direction...

...and when the bat monster was like it was about to lunge with all its speed and force to forward into the bush and with its fangs ahead to both bite and then suck the blood off the veins from anyone who was hiding directly in front of it, Groff prepared to release the bolt...

...and fired the bot towards the bat's faces.

Until from somewhere unexpectedly appeared the long elven arrow, which knocked Groff's crossbow's bolt off from its fly and pierced the bat monster's head instead, killing manbat instantly.

Surprised yet disappointed of, Groff came out from the bush followed with his eyes as the bat monster fell dead on his side to the ground.

And after taking the long arrow off from the bat's head and checking its leaf-shaped tip, Groff then turned to the direction from where the arrow had came from and noticed Felenar, having climbed out of her own elven cape and from the bush with the hobbits...

...and standing in the elven bowmen's or elven ranger usual firing position in the next of her and the hobbits hiding spot, with her elven bow in her hand and aimed at the direction of the manbat... telling to the dwarf that she had fired the arrow at the manbat, and knocked his own bolt off from the fly.

And, of course, Groff grew furious of that interference.

"Argh! you dumb elf! That kill was supposed to be mine!" Groff bellowed in rage at the elf.

The elf only snorted in frustration as he stood upright and walked towards the dwarf to retrieve her arrow... the hobbits following her, but staying a bit far away from the usual elven-dwarf-argument/fight.

"Keep your voice low, dwarf! Unless you do not want to call that gigantic black flock back with your loud bellowing and reveal to them our presence." Felenar scolded the angry dwarf.

"I didn't ask the help and I do not need the help. The dwarves do NOT need the help, especially from the elves!" Groff snorted.

"Well, how long you were going to wait before that thing lunges at you and snaps its jaws and fangs around of your faces? I guess that you're not aware of the fact that the manbats are much more quicker to attack than what even you are to release the bolt from your crossbow." Felenar asked, keeping her temper under control and her gentle voice down... though reluctantly ending up to get to the argument with the dwarf a bit annoyed her.

And like Felenar... Groff was far from interest of ending up to fight-like argue with the elf.

"Are you calling me slug, elf?!" Groff said with the challenging tone.

"No, I am just giving some advices to act in the situations, even though I don't know that am I just wasting my time by telling the advices to the dwarf with the extremely tigh skull... and who apparently merely thinks with his muscles rather than with his brains." Felenar said, starting to bit by nit lose her cool with the such of stubborn dwarf like Groff.

Groff was still disappointed of the elf claiming the kill which, by his opinion, was supposed to be his alone. And he was yet extremely angered that, from his point of view, the elf had even apparently called him both slug and dim-witted by the elf. So, as an response to this, instead of giving the elven arrow back to felenar, Groff took from it with both of his hands and snapped the arrow in half against his knee and threw it to the ground... in Felenar's feet, much to the elf's annoyance.

"I will not take those words kindly, elf!" Groff bellowed in rage...

...and was like he was about to reach to his ax, causing Felenar to feel like she was threatened by the dwarf's hand's movement towards the handle of his ax, to which Felenar reacted by reaching with her hands to her swords handles.

The elf and dwarf would have engage themselves to the duel, if it was not Evidin, who immediately interrupted by coming between of both of them and grabbing from both of their wrists, preventing them from reaching to their weapons handles.

"GROFF! FELENAR! ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS!" Evidin scolded both the elf andf dwarf, who still kept their eyes filled with the flames of the dwarves and the elves old grudges locked at each others.

"Your two should be ashamed of yourself, to be like you two were just about engage each others to the duel, And just when we were carefully selected and declared as the Guardians of the Middle-Earth to defent the Middle-Earth from Evil by Gandalf! You should save your people's hate and grudge between of each others for the goblins in Lóthlorien rather than unleash them against each others in words and weapons. Gandalf would never have wanted our own members ending up to fight each others meanwhile our enemy out there is preparing for conquering both of your people's lands and destroy your peoples, and the enemy is getting with the numbers and mighty even stronger and the enemy is getting even closer of their targets and goals out there, if you waste your time by fighting each others like the enemies. And... if we're going to as our very first duty to continue our journey to our meeting spot with the Great Eagles, fly on their backs over to the other side of the Misty Mountains to get into and save Lóthlorien from to be conquered by Nasihra through of the goblin king Gorboglin's armies, I WANT/DEMAND you two to put your differences aside and somehow try to get along with each others. If you don't, then stay away from each others for a while... but don't you two dare any further to even try to rise your weapons against one another! Did I make myself clear?"

This was followed the temporary silence between of elf, man and dwarf.

Evidin looked with the scolding and demanding eye both of the elf and dwarf alternately, demanding good answer and not accepting any further hostilities nor excuses from both of them...

...while from the felenar's supposed "cheeky attitude" furious dwarf and from the Groff's ingratitude and the stubbornness frustrated elf still kept their flaming eyes locked at each others.

Eventually, Felenar was the first one of them to pull her hands away from her swords and stand back from the fight.

"Fair enough for me, Evidin." Felenar said with the gentle tone, and walked away to the direction of the hobbits, who had been watched the whole situation between of Felenar and Groff with the tense of what was going to happen.

As the wise and gentle elf full of wisdom and kindness, Felenar indeed felt ashamed of herself, though reluctant to show it in the front of the dwarf. But she was still ashamed of ending up like that to the fight with the dwarf, even though there was a chance for her just turn around and focus to much more better things to do... such like take down the camp, she guessed.

But unlike Felenar, Groff was a bit stubborn to stand down, as the dwarves usually are.

But eventually, albeit stubbornly reluctant, Groff finally submitted by pulling his own arm away from his axe's handle, but Groff also rudely pulled his own arm away from Evidin's grasp.

"Yeah, what ever. Fine with me. And that pointy-eared is lucky that she isn't a goblin. If so, I would have gladly to split her head with my ax." Groff said and walked to another direction to pack his own stuff.

"And splitting the goblin-heads with my ax is the mere reason why I agreed to join this Guardians of the Middle-Earth. Otherwise I would never step with my foot in that woodlands from where that pointy-eare is coming from." Groff added, before turning his attention completely to packing his stuff.

Evidin looked at both of them, ensuring that both of them were focusing to something else than fighting with each others, before he sighed in relief that there was at least truce, at least temporary truce for now, between these two.

"I just took the task of leading these Guardians, which should not be difficult for the one who has experiences of being leader. But now I have to keep an eye on them to watch and prevent them from going anymore against each others just like that... like some kind of parent with the little children." Evidin complained, much to his frustration...

...though he thanked his luck that he was not interested about having mate and kids, due to his out of nowhere appeared responsibilities that referred a lot the responsibilities of the wizards, such like protecting Middle-Earth from evil.

While leading the band of Dúnedain rangers, never anything like that happened in the ranks of the rangers. Because every member of nearly extinct blood of Númenor were to each others like brothers and sisters with the unbreakable bond, though they're not blood relatives with each others.

But, both Felenar and Groff happened to be the elf and dwarf... and Elegrant was more than just aware of the old distrust, grudges, hatred, and even hostility between of the elves and dwarves for millennia... having learned much about the strained relationships between of these two mighty and proud peoples while being studying the secrets of the elven and the wizards magic.

Elegrant then emerged out from the bish and walked to Evidin's side.

"I know the feeling, Evidin. I often found myself in the same trouble with my own children back in Gondor." Elegrant said.

Evidin turned to his gondorian friend with the asking look in his faces.

"Yoou have a children, Elegrant?"

Elegrant nodded positively to his Dúnedain friend.

"Son and daughter, Evian and Loaran. Evian is one of the high ranked noble knights and serves as my right-hand-man and second-in-command in Cair Andros forces, while Loaran is working with my wife, Lorah, in her father's owned inn as barmaid... maybe, probably for the reason that she was sick of her brother being even near around of her."

Evidin created the confused look at the gondorian knight.

"What do you mean?"

Elegrant cleared his throat before he started to explain.

"When those two were younger and less matured, they often ended up to fight with each others for some reason or without any reason. Probably overly boasting about being better than another in some things like household chores. Being the high-ranked soldier or barmaid were out of their arguments back them. Their fierce argument forced either my wife of me to come between of them and to prevent them from fighting each others before the situation goies from bad to worse. You trying to calm down and force to stand down one elf and one dwarf, whose peoples have very long time lasted old grudges between of each others, is not a new to me." Elegrant said.

"I'm lucky, because I have no plans about having mate nor kids. My own responsibilities referring strongly to the the wizards' life-task to such protect Middle-Earth from evil takes my full attention completely away from such of ideas." Evidin said.

Elegrant chuckled in amused of Evidin's claim and shook his head.

"Evidin, the luck has very few to do with having a mate and kids. You should know that it is not about the luck but the fate itself. There's a many unexpected upcoming events in the near-future, which may happen even if you don't see it before it's too late. Besides, it was because of fate, which brough either me or Lorah to each other and made us to marry each others. None of us asked that for ourselves, but it was planned to happen by the faith." Elegrant adviced.

But before Evidin could say anything more, Elegrant changed the subject.

"What do you say, Evidin? I think that we should get out of here and continue our way to the mountains. Thanks to that flock of bats and those two (Felenar and Groff) argument, we are more than over one hour behind from that agreed time when we were supposed to keep moving towards the meeting spot with the Great Eagles in the Misty Mountains." Elegrant both reminded and suggested.

Evidin answered to this with the nod.

"Definitely we should, Elegrant." He said.

"Everybody, pay your attention. We will continue to forge ahead along the Great East Road in our journey and with doubled efforts, day and night from now on. Because of that flock and the aftermath, we are more than over one hour behind from that agreed time when we were supposed to keep moving towards the meeting spot with the Great Eagles. so, dismantle the camp and be prepared for to keep moving through day and night towards the Misty Mountains without stopping on our way." Evidin ordered.

Knowing the reasons why they were supposed to now travel through day and night without stopping in anywhere, the Guardians of the Middle-Earth and their allies went into their given job to dismantle their camp, pack everything back together and get the waggons and the horses ready for the journey.

However...

...the small black bat flew to the direction of the north over the Guardians undetected, due to being a black-furred and small bat, flying against the dark night sky.

The bat had undetectedly eyed the Guardians of the Middle-Earth down bellow of it for a while from the cover of the darkness of night.

Originally, the bat was among of the massive flock of bats and monstrous manbats when it arrived from the north to the air space of the hill of Weathertop, using the mass of the flock to cover itself from the eyes in order to scout the area in case of anything, which would interest its master...

...and the bat had also intentionally remained behind from the rest of the flock as its attention and interest was caught by the another manbat that had landed to the feet of the hill and reminded behind of the rest of the flock for some reason.

The bat had landed on the branch of one of the many trees in the area and remained inj there, hiding under the cover and the protection of the darkness of the night, from where the bat had patiently followed with its eyes with the dark vision the manbat's action in the near of the bush in the feet of the hill.

The bat was also surprised that the manbat eventually died in the hands of the elf nearby, who had rosed out from under of the bish with two halflings... before from the bush in the feet of the hill emerged out quite angry-looking dwarf, with four men, three Dúnedain and one gondorian, with the waggons right behind of them.

Using the cover of the night, the bat had flew to aniother tree, which was standing near of the fiercely argued elf and dwarf, to between of them one of the men suddenly came and put the end to the fight telling to both of them the some reasons.

And after hearing the names, Evidin, Groff and Felenar to be mentioned, and also hearing some details of their intentions, such like...

... _carefully selected and declared as the Guardians of the Middle-Earth to defent the Middle-Earth by Gandalf..._

... _the goblins in Lóthlorien_...

... _their journey to our meeting spot with the Great Eagles_...

... _fly on their backs over to the other side of the Misty Mountains_...

... _to get into and save Lóthlorien from to be conquered by Nasihra through of the goblin king Gorboglin's armies_...

...made the bat realize that these were mentioned Guardians of the galaxy, who were going to cause to its masters a lot of head aches for their interferences to their plans to conquer the northern parts of Middle-Earth.

And with these news, along with the knowledge about the Guardians location and their going direction and the place where they're heading, the bat immediately took off into the air and flew out from the area, heading towards the another end of the Weather Hills.

It did not took long from the bat to reach to the another end of the Weather Hills.

And in there, in top of one of the many hills in the northern end of the Weather Hills...

...was standing the black-furred and blood-red-eyed horse with the black mane, on the back of which was sitting the same sinister- and undead-looking man from Town of Bree, who had placed his rat spy into Elegrant clothes while supposedly "accidentally" colliding with him in the main room of the inn of the Prancing Pony and who had sent with his now-dead bat messenger the message about the supposed threat of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth.

He had been followed the Guardians of the Middle-Earth for a while since they left from the Town of Bree.

Into the same hooded dark-black cape dressed man sat silently in the back of his horse and watched to the nighttime horizon in the south direction and was at the same time waiting patiently for the bat spy's return.

And once the bat arrived to its master, the man lifted his left dead-like hand out of the wide sleeve of his cape and allowed the bat to land to it.

The man gently wrapped his dead fingers around of the bat's small furry form, but the bat did not let any sound in the form of sharp panicking squeaks out of his mouth and did not do anything to get out of the man's grasp, instead, it remained relaxed and curled into the ball inside of the man's long dead-like fingers.

The sinister-looking man then lifted the bat to the level and next to his right ear to hear the news from it.

The bat in his grasp did not waste its time, but started immediately to whisper everything it had heard while spying the Guardians of the Middle-Earth at the feet of the hill and watch tower of the Weathertop.

And after five minutes of listening the bat's news...

...the man took the bat away from his ear but keot it in the level of his head and in the front of his vicious-looking faces.

"Well done, little one." The dark man said with the vicious-looking grin.

"Go now. Fly to the east. Fly ahead of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth. Go and find the goblin named Krûk and his Dire-Bird riders. They're in the lands of Rhudaur looking for these sso-called Guardians of the Middle-Earth by Gorboglin's orders. Tell to Krûk that they're heading the mountains along the Great East Road. And also tell to Krûk to arrange for so-called heroic Guardians of the Middle-Earth a good reception... by the goblin style." The figured said with the dark and sadistic tone, as he gently unwrapped his fingers from around of the bat's small into the ball curled form.

The bat squeaked with the pleasure, before it spread its wings and took of into the air, quickly disappearing to the darkness as it headed to the East.

The sinister-looking man followed with his blood-red eyes the bat, until it disappeared into the darkness, after which he turned his attention to the south, to the direction where he believed the Guards to be.

"Good-bye, Guardians..." He said, before he turned his attention to the East to the mountains.

"And enjoy your meal, goblins." The man added with the sadistic tone.

 **To be continued...**

* * *

 **I hope that all of you who read this story enjoyed this chapter...**

 **'Til the next time.**


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